Biological ensilages – Highest quality roughage

Ensiling is a process of losses; our goal is to reduce them. The use of good silage practices and the introduction of biological-enzymatic additives for ensiling will keep losses to a minimum. The result will be silage of the highest quality, stable and highly digestible.

Keep losses to a minimum

Obtaining perfect silage requires analysis of many factors. Losses are inevitable, we can classify them as follows and successively minimize them:

Field loss – the amount of nutrients in the raw material, and yield per hectare.
The growth stage of the plant is decisive. A late harvest means a large mass with low nutritional value. When, then, to mow? It is recommended that grasses be harvested at the stalk shooting stage (beginning of earing), and legumes at the beginning of flowering. Field losses also include leaf crushing and lower protein levels in the final crop.

Loss during heap preparation – dry matter (DM) of harvest, and loss from leachate.
Low DM results in leakage of silage juice with valuable nutrients and sugars necessary for proper ensiling. Poor compaction of the heap and the long period from harvesting to covering with film hinders ensiling processes due to the high level of air inside the silage.

Fermentation losses – invisible gas losses and dry matter loss of the raw material.
This is the most important process we can influence. We can use additives of bacteria to improve the quality of fermentation and enzymes to support the processes of proper stabilization of the raw material when it is fed throughout the cows’ feeding period.

Tailor-made ensiler

A good ensiler contains the necessary amount of homo- and hetro-fermenting bacteria and in some cases enzymes to achieve a fast start of fermentation in silages and provide the necessary sugars for optimal production of volatile fatty acids (i.e.: lactic acid , propionic acid, acetic acid) and control low levels of butyric acid
Enzymes in biological preparations
– α – Amylase – releases sugar speeds up processes
– β – Glucanase – breaks down polysaccharides – extra sugar for fermentation
– Cellulase – increases digestibility of fiber feeds
– Xylanase – increases digestibility of feed from non-starchy polysaccharides

ONLY SELECTED STRAINS GUARANTEE STABILITY DURING THE ENSILING PROCESS AND RESISTANCE TO CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE RISE AND RAPID DECREASE OF PH IN THE ENSILED RAW MATERIAL.

Advantages of using ensilage:

• rapid reduction of the pH in silage to levels that guarantee the development of normal silo microflora
• improve digestibility of ensiled material
• Reducing abnormal fermentation, e.g. toward butyric acid, and excluding alcoholic fermentation
• Stabilization of silage after opening the silo and during feeding
• to exclude feed overheating and limit further DM losses
• Maximize nutrient availability and reduce proteolysis (protein loss) in silage during the entire forage storage process in the silo and after it is opened
• Improve forage palatability and increase DM intake through improved organoleptic quality of silage
• Reduce the presence of mold and reduce the risk of mycotoxin contamination of silage

How to choose a biological ensiler?

Choosing the right ensiler is a choice between the amount of lactic acid bacteria both homo- and hetero-fermenting and the appropriate enzymes (i.e. xylanase, cellulase, β -glucanase). The goal is to obtain the so-called sugar minimum needed for these bacteria to take off and grow in the silage. It’s also to match the product to the capabilities of the equipment – silage applicator i.e. ideal concentration in the working liquid and achieve a stable, homogeneous and reproducible concentration of bacteria in each gram of silage.

When choosing the bacterial-enzymatic composition of the ensiler, one should be guided by the properties of the silage in question.

There is a division into two main groups:

• easily ensiled with a high proportion of sugars (i.e., corn, grass mixtures with high sugar content): recommendations for the use of preparations with propionic and heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria, e.g. L. buchneri and L. hilgardii to guarantee stability and high digestibility of feed after opening
• difficult ensiling with low levels of sugars (i.e., alfalfa, clovers): recommendations for the use of preparations with correct enzymatic composition and high initial potential – the so-called start of fermentation, e.g., P. acidilactici , P. pentosaceus, in addition, L. plantarum and heterofermenting lactic acid bacteria in participation with enzymes.

An intermediate category will be silages characterized by a high sugar content, but also by a high buffer capacity due to the abundance of minerals in the raw material and a high concentration of protein (i.e. mixtures of cereals with legumes and grasses with a protein crop in-bed).

When choosing a ensiler, it is also important to consider what the intended dry weight of the silage will be at harvest and how quickly you want to feed it from the time it is harvested and ensiled. These are key questions before deciding which product is right for your needs and expectations.