Grass products typically include bales, grass powder, grass pieces, and grass pellets. These products have formed a well-established industrial system in many countries abroad, supplying high-quality forage for livestock farming and driving the growth of the animal husbandry sector. In China, the production of grass products is still in its early stages, but it is growing rapidly. Particularly, the export volume of hay bales has been increasing year by year, indicating a bright future for the industry.
Bale Production
Hay bales are the most commonly used form of grass products, and most other grass-based products are derived from them. Over 80% of the grass products exported from the United States are hay bales. The process of making bales is relatively simple and cost-effective. It starts with cutting the pasture, then drying it naturally in the field. Once dried, the forage is either manually transported to the factory or compressed into low-density bales using a pick-and-place baler. Finally, a stationary baler is used to create high-density bales. Key equipment involved in this process includes mowers, tedders, balers, and tying machines.
Grass Flour Production
The main raw materials for grass flour production are leguminous forages such as alfalfa, white clover, sand vetch, and lotus root. The process involves chopping the forage and drying it using hot air, which quickly reduces the moisture content from around 80% to below 1%. This dehydration process can take anywhere from a few hours to just minutes, depending on the machine. Dryers used in this process come in two types: those with airflow ducts and those with rotating drums. Grass flour has seen rapid development globally. In the U.S., between 200,000 to 3 million tons of grass powder are used annually in compound feed, while Japan consumes about 2.2 million tons each year. In China, grass flour still makes up a small portion of compound feed, but with the ongoing development of the feed industry, its production has increased significantly in recent years.
Grass and Grass Pellet Production
To make feeding more efficient, reduce loss during transportation, and improve storage, grass powder is often pressed into straw or pellets. During this pressing process, antioxidants can also be added to enhance the shelf life of the product and minimize nutrient loss.
Feed Brick Production
Feed bricks are made by combining protein feeds, minerals, and other essential nutrients with grass powder, along with an appropriate amount of corn flour, and then pressing them into bricks. These bricks serve as supplementary feed during periods when forage is scarce, such as in winter and early spring. They help promote livestock growth and increase milk production in female animals. There are various types of feed bricks available, and their composition can be adjusted based on the type of livestock. Common examples include urea-salt bricks, which combine urea, minerals, concentrates, salt, binders, and vitamins into the grass powder, and salt bricks, which are mainly made of salt and enhanced with corn flour, urea, and trace elements.
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