Vet university conducts panel discussion on making silage
Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana, organised a panel discussion on ‘Silage: From making to feeding,’ in an attempt to increase awareness among dairy farmers.
Dr Ravinder Singh Grewal, Director of Extension Education, said high-quality silage was crucial for dairy production due to its numerous advantages. Silage is becoming popular among dairy farmers but there are notable disparities in the methods followed by farmers from production to feeding, thus it is important to educate them, he added.
Dr Parminder Singh, Additional Director of Extension Education, dwelled upon the details of silage making. Dr JS Hundal of the department of animal nutrition highlighted the silage quality metrics, field quality testing, and testing facilities offered by the university. Agronomist Navjot Singh Brar described different fodders which could be ensiled, their varieties, cultivation practices and measures to prevent parasites from infesting. Dr Amarpreet Sing Pannu, a senior veterinary officer at the animal husbandry department, revealed the proper field conditions for storing silage and shared the diseases which were encountered due to poor quality of silage.
Dr Amninder Singh Deol, veterinary officer, shared his experience of making quality silage. Rajpal Singh Kular, a progressive dairy farmer, also shared his views online about quality silage.
Dr Jaswinder Singh, head of veterinary extension department, coordinated the panel discussion which lasted around two hours. The recording of the discussion would be available soon on the university’s YouTube channel and GADVASU Extension Services, said officials. Hundreds of farmers and other stakeholders participated in the discussion through the online medium and their queries were answered by the panel of experts.
