YouScience Animal Science and Livestock Production Practice Test

Silage is the term for fermented forage preserved for feed. It’s made by chopping forage and packing it tightly in a silo, bunker, or wrapped bale to create an anaerobic environment. Under those oxygen-free conditions, lactic acid bacteria ferment sugars into lactic acid, lowering the pH and inhibiting spoilage organisms, which preserves the forage for later feeding. This differs from grazing, where animals eat standing forage, and from pasture, which refers to the land used for grazing. Nutrient deficiency is unrelated to the preservation method.