Advanced Robot have helped us transition onto the automated milking system with impressive results. The team has a clear understanding of how the whole system needs to work, from the cow and her health right through to the robot settings. The cows are healthy and performance is terrific.
Does a silage inoculant still pay when milk prices fall?
We talk to Bob Kendal from Alltech about the benefits of a silage innoculant together with the aim of still maximising margins.
As nutritionists working with dairy farms nationwide, one of our core aims is always the same: to optimise milk production from forage while keeping input costs firmly under control. When milk price comes under pressure, that focus sharpens even further. Every cost is scrutinised, but as Alltech’s Bob Kendal points out, cutting the wrong corners can quickly become a false economy.
“Falling milk prices inevitably put every cost under the microscope,” Bob explains. “But cutting the wrong corners can cost far more than it saves, especially when it comes to forage quality.”
Protecting forage value starts in the clamp
Silage making is a delicate balancing act. The goal is simple: preserve as much dry matter, energy and true protein as possible. But achieving that consistently, particularly with high-protein crops such as first-cut grass or clover leys, is where many losses occur.
“These crops contain more soluble protein and sugars,” says Bob. “That makes them more vulnerable during fermentation if the process isn’t controlled properly.”
Even with good management, Bob highlights that untreated silage typically loses around 10% of its dry matter during fermentation. Those losses don’t come from low-value material, they come from the most energy-rich fractions of the crop, as sugars are converted into weaker acids and by-products such as ethanol, carbon dioxide and water.
Why fermentation speed matters
From a nutritional standpoint, the priority is rapid fermentation. A faster pH drop at the start of ensiling helps preserve digestible fibre, carbohydrates and true protein, while limiting the activity of undesirable microbes.
Bob explains that using a high-quality homofermentative silage inoculant, delivering one million bacteria per gram of forage, can cut dry-matter losses by half. In practical terms, that’s an extra 50 kg of usable dry matter for every tonne ensiled.
Because those preserved nutrients are energy-dense, the benefits go beyond clamp efficiency. “Reducing fermentation losses also improves digestibility,” Bob notes. “You’re protecting the part of the crop that actually drives milk production.”
Turning forage quality into milk
To put that into context, Bob uses a typical 75D grass crop. Without treatment, that silage might end up closer to 71D by the time it’s fed. With effective inoculation, more of that original value is retained, closer to 72.5D.
“On a simple energy basis,” Bob says, “that difference equates to around 43 extra litres of milk per tonne of silage dry matter.”
For nutritionists aiming to push milk from forage while minimising bought-in feed, that improvement can make a real difference to ration flexibility and overall feed efficiency.
Does it still stack up financially?
When margins tighten, return on investment matters more than ever. Using an example from Alltech…
If silage costs £150 per tonne of dry matter to produce, grass is ensiled at 33% DM, and milk is worth 30ppl, then each treated tonne of grass delivers:
- £2.50 in extra fresh silage value
- £4.30 in additional milk output
- At an inoculant cost of just £1.32
“That’s a 5:1 return on investment,” Bob says. “Even when milk price drops, the economics still favour protecting what you’ve already grown.”
Practical solutions, tailored to your farm
Silage additives play a crucial role in kick-starting fermentation and safeguarding forage quality, particularly where dry matter is lower and acids become diluted. In these situations, preservation can be slower and nutrient losses greater unless fermentation is actively managed.
One product our team has used successfully is Egalis® Ferment. Containing one million homolactic bacteria per gram of forage, its high potency promotes rapid fermentation and helps beneficial bacteria outcompete undesirable microbes in the clamp. The result is more consistent silage quality and often a reduced need for additional feed supplementation.
As an independent feed company, this is just one of many tools available. Our approach is always to understand your silage - its dry matter, protein level and fermentation risk before tailoring a solution that fits your system.
As Bob concludes “When margins are tight, the last thing a dairy business needs is to buy in more feed. Protecting the quality and energy of home-grown forage is one of the most reliable ways to stay financially resilient.”
If you’d like support assessing your silage or refining your fermentation strategy, get in touch with us at Advanced Ruminant Nutrition.
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