Setting degree of maceration based on forage nutritive values
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorTimothy J. Kraus
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of preparing a feed ration for an animal includes storing a cut crop material in an accumulation having an oxygen barrier. The cut crop material is fermented within the accumulation to form a silage material. A nutritive value of the silage material is determined with a nutrition sensor. A desired amount of maceration of the silage material is determined based on the determined nutritive value of the silage material. The silage material is then macerated with a mechanical macerator to achieve the desired amount of maceration. The macerated silage material is then combined with other feed materials to define the feed ration, and may then be fed to the animal.
Claims19
A method of preparing a feed ration for an animal, the method comprising:
- determining a nutritive value of a silage material with a nutrition sensor positioned relative to a macerating mechanism of a mechanical macerator;
- determining a desired amount of maceration of the silage material based on the determined nutritive value of the silage material;
- and
- macerating the silage material with the mechanical macerator to achieve the desired amount of maceration.
A mechanical macerator for macerating silage material, the mechanical macerator comprising:
- a macerating mechanism operable to macerate the silage material;
- a nutrition sensor positioned relative to the macerating mechanism and operable to sense nutritive levels of the silage material;
- a ration controller coupled to the nutrition sensor, and including a processor and a memory having a ration algorithm stored thereon, wherein the processor is operable to execute the ration algorithm to:
- receive data from the nutrition sensor indicating the nutritive levels of the silage material;
- determine a desired amount of maceration of the silage material based on the nutritive levels of the silage material;
- control the macerating mechanism to achieve the desired amount of maceration of the silage material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.