Grain crimping is a cost-effective way to produce high-quality feed for all types of livestock, including ruminants, pigs and poultry. This innovative method increases profitability by reducing costs and improving animal productivity. Grain crimping is suitable for practically all crops, such as barley, oats, wheat, maize, peas, beans and mixed grains.
Crimped grain enhances animal health and saves costs in farming, harvesting, drying and storing crops.
In the crimping process, the grain is harvested earlier when it is still moist and run through a specialised Murska crimping mill, which breaks and flattens the grains. Approximately 3 to 5 litres per tonne of additives are used. Crimped grain is stored in airtight plastic tubes, bunkers, horizontal silos, clamps or tower silos.
Grain for crimping is cultivated similarly to grain for drying, except it is harvested 2 to 3 weeks earlier at the yellowish stage. The moisture content of the grain is typically 30 to 40 %, when the grain´s energy and protein content are at the highest. Early harvesting allows the cultivation of late varieties with higher yields, and fertilisers and manure can be used more flexibly. Harvesting can be made even in less favourable weather conditions.
Drying is not needed before crimping, which saves a lot of energy. The grain can be crimped immediately after harvesting using a Murska mill. Crimping can be done on the field or at the farmyard, depending on whether the crimped grain is stored in a plastic tube or a silo. Crimping creates much less dust and noise than milling dry grains.
The crimped grain can be stored in airtight plastic tubes, bunkers, horizontal silos, clamps or tower silos. The ensiling of crimped grain is based on lactic acid fermentation. Favourable conditions for fermentation are created by lowering the pH of crimped grain to the level of 4 and by anaerobic conditions.
Crimped grain is excellent fodder for ruminants, pigs and poultry. Crimped grain can be fed to livestock as such, in TMR for cattle or in liquid feed for pigs. The nutritional value of crimped grain is higher and toxin levels lower than dried grain.
Grain crimping was invented in autumn 1969 by Aimo and Gunnar Korte in Ylivieska, Finland. Their grain dryer had broken, but the brothers knew that high moisture grains could be ensiled if they were first crimped. This method was invented by Finnish Nobel Prize winning chemist Artturi Ilmari Virtanen a couple of decades earlier, but it was usually used for hay silage. There were no crimping machines available at that time, so the two brothers decided to construct one on their own. Their first roller mill was made together with a neighbouring farm. This is how the company Aimo Kortteen Konepaja Oy started.
The use of a roller mill during a severe frost saved the farm, and this was noticed within the small community. Before long, the brothers began receiving orders from interested farmers.
The company’s sales developed rapidly throughout Finland, and in the 1980s it began exporting to Sweden and Great Britain. Today, Murska products are used in more than 40 countries around the world. Murska got its attractive and attention-grabbing purple colour in cooperation with the prestigious Institute of Design in Finland.
In 2017, a generational change took place in the company, when Aimo’s daughter Terhi took over the management of the company.
Storing crimped grain in plastic tubes is a low-cost and simple storage method. Plastic tubes eliminate the need for fixed storage, and the size of the tubes can be adjusted according to the yield. Working with plastic tubes is also flexible, as crimping can be stopped at any time and continued later. Storing in plastic tubes is fast, easy and less weather dependent than ensiling in silos or clamps.
The nutritional value of crimped grain for ruminants is higher compared to that of dried grain, and it can completely replace dry grain in feeding. According to studies, crimped grain can achieve an 11% increase in the milk production of dairy cows and a 6% increase in the daily growth of beef cattle.
Crimped grain can be fed to pigs as such. It is also perfectly suited for liquid feeding too. Crimped grain has a lower Vitamin E content but more digestible phosphorus.
Crimped grain appetising feed for poultry. Crimped grain improves both daily weight gain and the feed conversion ratio of broiler chickens, as the energy value of crimped grain is 25% higher than that of dried grain. The digestibility of lysine, threonine and phosphorus in crimped is also increased compared to dried grain.
“We crimp about 2 million tons of grain annually for our 1400 beef cattle. We have used the Murska 2000 mill already for ten years. The main benefits compared to drying are energy savings and more effective feeding. Cattle likes crimped grain fodder and it is also nice for the farmer, as there is no grain dust. The mill has been very reliable and long-lasting.”
Juho Isopahkala, Finland
“We heard from some colleagues about their success with crimped maize in pig feeding. We started with a little part of the maize in the first year. Next year we bought a new Murska S 2000 with universal rollers. With that machine we were able to crimp maize, peas, lupin, beans and all kinds of grain. Now we have crimped with Murska for the past four seasons and we are getting more and more satisfied every year.”
Jesper ja Jorgen Nielsen, Danmark
“Health and well-being of the animals is the reason why my customers choose me as their contractor. Crimped maize improves animal health and increases milk production. Farmers are happy with crimping as they can feed the animals with quality maize produced at their own farm. This saves money as there are no drying or transportation costs.”
Ramon Codony, Spain
“I was aware of the high drying costs of grain as grain is not often harvested dry in this area. Reliance on off-farm storage and processing was also a minus. I purchased Murska 1400 in time for 2011 harvest and ensiled 2800 tons. The crimping process suited us and it increased the profitability and performance of the cattle. So the following year we built two more purpose built crimp clamps of 750 tons each.”
Fraser Scott, England
Crimping Guide Kemira 
Harper Adams crimped maize_grain_Final-Report 
Crimped barley_Researchreport_final 
Using the bagger (EN)