Straw rolls, a source of feed for livestock

Implementing mechanization in the fields, the straw rolling machine was deployed as a model by the agricultural extension system. After harvesting, the straw is rolled into cylindrical rolls with a diameter of 45cm and a length of 75cm, this size makes it convenient for farmers to transport. In practice, the application of the straw rolling machine not only brings benefits through reducing the cost of collecting straw, but also creates conditions for increasing income from using straw. Using rolled straw to process feed for cattle and buffalo is a new technique applied in livestock farming in the Southeast provinces.

To experience the extremely attractive and beautiful straw rolling process because the straw rolls after being rolled will be piled high into giant piles of "golden" straw arranged very beautifully, we invite you to Vietnam.vn to admire the photo series "Rolled straw, a source of food for livestock" by author Tran Van Tuy. The photo series was taken by the author in Binh Thuan and submitted to the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam" , organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications .

In the Southeast provinces, rice is often harvested by combine harvesters. The straw will be stacked in rows after harvesting. This is convenient for using straw collectors. The machine includes a straw wheel used to move the straw into the machine chamber, where the straw is chopped and rolled up by rollers and belts. The final product is cylindrical straw rolls. Straw briquetting not only increases the nutritional value of straw, increases storage time, and is convenient to store due to taking up less space, but also increases the weight gain of beef cattle and reduces feed costs in livestock farming.

Straw is one of the main sources of roughage for raising buffaloes and cows, especially in winter. Currently, straw is collected by machine, so the output is very large and convenient for storage for year-round use in agricultural production and livestock farming. However, in the past, people only used rolled straw in its original, raw form to feed buffaloes and cows, so the efficiency was not high.

The characteristics of straw are dry, bulky and low nutritional quality, high silicon content (12-16%) is the main cause of poor digestibility. If fed unprocessed straw, it will limit the ability of livestock to eat. Therefore, to use straw effectively in raising buffaloes and cows, it is necessary to process it in many different ways to increase the ability to eat, increase nutrition and increase the ability of livestock to digest.

In order to improve the efficiency of straw use in livestock farming, localities in the Southeast region have built a model of processing rolled straw (mixed with other ingredients) to make fattening feed for cows.

To proactively prevent hunger and cold for cattle and buffalo and to take advantage of straw after harvest, people can use straw as animal feed. Straw has low nutritional content, after being processed by composting with urea, it becomes a good nutritious food for buffalo and cows.

Using rolled straw as feed for cattle and buffaloes will help reduce the burning of straw in the fields, which causes many consequences and waste. In order for the model to be widely replicated and suitable for practice, many localities across the country continue to promote, survey, assess needs, and select and apply straw processing technology suitable for current household-scale livestock farming.

In 2024, the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam" continues to be organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in coordination with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists on the website https://happy.vietnam.vn for all Vietnamese citizens and foreigners aged 15 and over. The contest aims to honor individuals and groups with positive information products, making practical contributions to the propaganda and promotion of beautiful images of Vietnam to the world. Thereby helping people in the country, compatriots abroad and international friends access authentic images of the country, Vietnamese people, Vietnam's achievements in ensuring human rights, towards a happy Vietnam. Each contest category (photo and video) has the following prizes and prize values: - 01 Gold Medal: 70,000,000 VND - 02 Silver Medals: 20,000,000 VND - 03 Bronze Medals: 10,000,000 VND - 10 Encouragement Prizes: 5,000,000 VND - 01 most voted work: 5,000,000 VND The winning authors will be invited by the Organizing Committee to attend the Announcement Ceremony and Award Ceremony and Certificate on live television of Vietnam Television.

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