Below par Monsoon Season of 2026 has prompted Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Department to launch Fodder Conservation Drive to Protect Cattle Health in the province
PUNE, India — October 14, 2026 — The Animal Husbandry Department of Maharashtra has launched a state-wide fodder conservation initiative to tackle seasonal roughage deficits and protect bovine metabolic health. The strategic drive focuses on expanding silage pit infrastructure, chaff-cutter distribution, and crop-residue enrichment to ensure consistent baseline nutrition for milk cattle across drought-prone livestock belts
Mitigating Rumen Acidosis and Production Drops
Abrupt changes in dry fodder availability frequently lead to nutritional stress, subclinical ketosis, and sudden drops in daily milk yield among dairy cattle and buffalo herds:
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Silage Demonstration Camps: State extension veterinarians are conducting hands-on farm demonstrations on green fodder preservation techniques, emphasizing corn and sorghum ensiling.
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Nutritional Enrichment of Low-Quality Straw: The initiative introduces urea-molasses treatment programs for dry cereal crop residues, raising raw protein digestibility from 3% to over 7% to maintain rumen microbial health during lean months.
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Targeted Health Protection: By stabilizing fiber intake, local livestock authorities aim to prevent metabolic digestive disorders, maintain body condition scores, and protect smallholder farmer livelihoods against feed inflation.
