By: Ryan Royer DVM – Technical Service Manager, Novonesis (formerly Chr. Hansen)
When it comes to making quality alfalfa and grass silage, dairy farmers want an inoculant that helps deliver efficient but rapid fermentation, protects favorable feed characteristics, and performs consistently across a range of harvest conditions. Nutrient and dry matter consistency can be a struggle with both grass and alfalfa silage harvest, especially in recent growing seasons. Clostridial bacterial spores can often accompany wet-harvested silages resulting in a spoiled, off-smelling fermentation and is something to be avoided. Recently, Novonesis conducted an internal review of over 350 alfalfa haylage samples from a third-party forage laboratory, confirming that both SiloSolve®MC and SiloSolve®FC prove to be exceptional options for alfalfa haylage inoculation. An unexpected discovery while evaluating these data, we found SiloSolve®FC may offer an extra benefit, especially when alfalfa is chopped wetter than ideal. While these data evaluated alfalfa silage, thousands of tons of grass silage have shown and support the use of SiloSolve®MC or SiloSolve®FC with excellent preservation and feed quality characteristics, as well.
Alfalfa can be a difficult crop to properly ferment
Alfalfa has a high buffering capacity, which means it does not drop in pH as easily as some other forages. When moisture is high (>65%), the risk of undesirable, specifically clostridial fermentation, increases, and that can lead to the production of compounds such as butyric acid, propionic acid, ethanol, and elevated ammonia levels. If these compounds are present in your haylage, this can mean reduced palatability, more nutrient loss, specifically protein content, and less consistent feed in the feed bunk. When no inoculant or an inferior inoculant is used on haylage, fermentation can be prolonged. When fermentation is prolonged, heat production in the pile/bunker is also prolonged, which can denature protein in the forage. This denaturing of protein results in elevated ammonia levels, biogenic amine formation, all resulting in less usable protein available for your animals. For dairy producers and forage managers, this provides an opportunity to use an inoculant that can positively influence the kind of fermentation that preserves the beneficial qualities of the alfalfa or grass silage and minimize the risk of bad feed. No one wants a bunker/pile of haylage that creates a feeding challenge for cows and nutritionists alike. A research-proven, field-tested inoculant helps steer fermentation in the right direction and reduces the risk of undesirable outcomes in your feeds.
Both SiloSolve®MC and SiloSolve®FC performed well
The results from this evaluation showed that both SiloSolve®MC and SiloSolve®FC are excellent choices for alfalfa haylage. Overall, alfalfa treated with SiloSolve®FC was not dramatically different from alfalfa treated with SiloSolve®MC. That is an important point for producers and nutritionists: both products demonstrated the ability to support desirable fermentation in haylage so now you don’t have to have multiple inoculants for alfalfa, grass and corn silage – SiloSolve®FC can do them all. In dry and ideal alfalfa haylage conditions, the results were especially positive for both inoculants. The analysis concluded that SiloSolve®MC and SiloSolve®FC delivered extremely desirable fermentation endpoints, with pH values that preserve the forage while in storage, and good fermentation acid production results from a variety of harvest conditions. The broader comparison suggests both products are highly effective tools in a well-managed silage program. While SiloSolve®MC was traditionally positioned for haylage silage, we now have evidence to show that SiloSolve®FC is also highly effective on these crops. Both inoculants are unmatched in the market, both are easy to mix into solution, and no other silage inoculant has a 7-day, early open claim like SiloSolve®FC.
Where SiloSolve®FC appears to stand out
While both products performed well, the data give SiloSolve®FC a slight advantage in some key areas. The data summary indicates that SiloSolve®FC may have produced less butyric acid and less propionic acid than SiloSolve®MC-treated haylages when dry matter was low (<35% dm). That makes this inoculant choice particularly attractive when weather, harvest timing, or field conditions push forage moisture above desired levels. There was one especially meaningful finding: although the percentage of samples with any detectable butyric acid did not differ much between inoculants, the percentage of samples with butyric acid above 0.50% of dry matter was lower for SiloSolve®FC. While no inoculant will guarantee to eliminate butyric acid, SiloSolve®FC appears to reduce the chance of the more serious and impactful levels of butyric acid, those above 0.50%, that can impact animal performance and health. Keeping butyric acid levels in check on grass or alfalfa haylage is an important threshold for livestock on the farm. Producers are not just trying to avoid minor variation; they are trying to avoid the kind of fermentation that creates real feed quality problems because ultimately those problems impact cattle health, performance, feed costs, and ultimately – the dairy producer’s profitability.
Take-home message
For farmers and forage managers, the message is simple: both SiloSolve®MC and SiloSolve®FC are effective choices for all types of haylage – alfalfa, grass, or a forage mixture. These inoculants will support a well-managed forage program, even under challenging harvest conditions. Proper harvest and storage procedures are still critical for the best outcomes – a well-packed, well-sealed, and properly managed bunker/pile face is always the foundation for good forage preservation, along with a quality silage inoculant. For producers who value proven performance across multiple crops and regions, SiloSolve®FC offers a clear advantage, including rapid fermentation and early opening, mold/yeast inhibition, and control of butyric acid production. SiloSolve®FC’s versatility allows producers to use one inoculant across a wider range of silage crops, simplifying inoculant inventory management.