Tama Assist Do Silage Inoculants Make a Difference?
There’s a lot of debate amongst UK farmers about whether silage inoculants really make a difference to forage quality. After all, the work silage additives do is largely invisible, and many farmers feed out just fine without them. Are they really worth the money? This quick guide weighs up the pros and cons of silage additives.
A quick refresher: Silage inoculants are microbial additives that speed up the fermentation process in silage. They typically contain Lactobacillus sp. bacteria (usually Lactobacillus plantarum), which produce the lactic acid needed to drop pH and stabilise your silage.
The quicker your silage is fermented, the more nutrients you lock in and the better the final nutritional quality of your feed. So far so good.
So why the debate? For starters, Lactobacillus is already naturally present on your cut crop. Some farmers argue that adding more is unnecessary. The counterargument is that because “unassisted” silage fermentation takes longer, less desirable bacteria break down valuable sugars and proteins. And this lowers the quality of your feed.
With the above background in mind, there are some pros and cons to consider as you make your choice.
The case for inoculants:
- Silage inoculants improve fermentation, locking in nutritional value earlier.
- Enhanced fermentation from inoculants reduces dry matter (DM) losses, ensuring you can feed out more of your forage.
- Bacteria such as Lactobacillus buchneri, often added to heterofermentative inoculants, enhance silage stability once the bale or clamp is opened. It does this by producing acetic acid, which prevents yeast and mould growth.
The argument against silage inoculants:
- The most common argument is that inoculants are pricey – and it’s money you don’t necessarily need to spend.
- Lactobacillus bacteria are already present on your cut forage, but in lower concentrations.
- Some farmers treat silage inoculants as a “cure-all” and neglect other best practices. Like making sure they use high-quality, anaerobic wrap for silage bales.
A final point to consider: Many of the studies on silage inoculant effectiveness are done in North America or Europe. This isn’t necessarily irrelevant, but there is some evidence that the results don’t always apply to the day-to-day reality of UK-based farming.
Some experts argue, for example, that certain types of inoculants are less effective due to the lower DM content of UK silage. Typically, UK DM averages 32%, where Europe averages 34-40%.
On the flip side, UK studies do support the idea that silage inoculants can improve milk yield and reduce DM losses; especially in unpredictable weather.
Not necessarily. They do help, and some farmers swear by them, but they aren’t the be-all and end-all of good silage management.
What’s more important is ensuring your silage is properly fermenting and anaerobically wrapped with high-quality silage wrap or clamp covers. By keeping oxygen out, you ensure the right bacteria can do their work. And that translates directly into better nutritional quality for your herd all winter long.
Speak to Tama about your silage management needs.
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