Can silage inoculants contribute to farm profitability?
Ensiled forages represent the largest part of the daily intake of most ruminants, and the quality of silage directly affects animal nutrition and well-being. The controlled microbial fermentation of forages helps to preserve their nutritive value all year round. Silage inoculants containing microorganisms and enzymes influence and enhance the fermentation process when making silage from corn, grass, legumes and more.
There are two critical points in silage management when trying to achieve optimal silage quality:
- At the time of ensiling, where the main objective is to achieve a rapid acidification for maximum recovery of nutrients and minimal dry matter losses.
- At feed out, where the challenge is to ensure good aerobic stability to minimize nutrient and dry matter losses through heating and limit the growth of spoilage microorganisms, such as yeasts and molds.
Depending on their characteristics, fresh forages present different challenges during ensiling and feedout:
- Low dry matter, low sugar content or high protein forages are prone to slow acidification, which can result in protein degradation and feed value
- High dry matter or sugar rich forages are prone to aerobic instability and spoilage.
Left uncontrolled, these challenges will have negative impacts on the economic value of the preserved feed and on animal performance and well-being.
Specific solutions for your Success in forage preservation
As an expert in microbial fermentation, Lallemand Animal Nutrition has developed a range of silage additives to address the specific challenges faced in each crop at ensiling. By choosing the right inoculant, silage producers can ensure optimal preservation of dry matter and the nutritive value of their silage crops from the field to feedout, optimizing performance and animal efficiency.
For more information on silage management, visit our global educational resource QualitySilage.com
The Lallemand Animal Nutrition range of specific inoculants for optimal silage quality include:
Not all products are available in all markets nor all claims allowed in all regions.
