Silage-making and recent trend of dairy farming in Thailand

Abstract

Based on statistical data such as the number of cattle head, the amount of raw milk production and demand, regional and monthly quantity of raw milk production, etc., the characteristics of dairy farming in Thailand were outlined. It is suggested that feeding of good-quality silage throughout a year is the most effective method to increase the amount of raw milk production in Thailand. However, the difficulty in making good-quality silage in Thailand was pointed out from the results of analyses of the microbial flora of the silages prepared in Thailand. Therefore, the selection of suitable lactic acid bacteria by using an evaluation system of lactic acid bacteria for silage-making in Thailand was proposed.