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Making Sense of Forage Analysis Results

This year’s forage analysis can help improve next year’s harvest.

Results from forage analyses aren’t just for ration formulations. The numbers can also help producers adjust management processes to avoid future problems altogether.

“The results of forage analysis can be really useful,” says Bob Charley, forage products management, Lallemand Animal Nutrition. “For instance, it can show if the crop was harvested correctly or if silages are prone to spoilage.”

Results from forage analyses aren’t just for ration formulations. The numbers can also help producers adjust management processes to avoid future problems altogether.

Charley advises producers to review these parameters:

Lactic acid levels will be lower in silages treated with inoculants containing Lactobacillus buchneri. It also typically has higher concentrations of acetic acid and lower levels of lactic acid than untreated silage. Acetic acid helps inhibit the growth of spoilage yeasts that are responsible for silage heating.

This process is one of the reasons Biotal® forage inoculants containing the specific strain L. buchneri 40788 have been uniquely reviewed by the FDA for improved aerobic stability when applied at 400,000 colony forming unit (CFU) per gram of forage or 600,000 CFU per gram of high-moisture corn (HMC).

“There is no single number that indicates ‘good’ silage,” Charley notes. “Silage is a very complex biological system with inherent variability. Still, forage analysis results can help producers understand what happened during the harvest and ensiling process — and how to improve feedstuff quantity and quality the next time.”

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Editor’s Note: Lauren Kasten is a marketing communications assistant for Lallemand Animal Nutrition.



 

 

 

 

 

 





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