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Chr. Hansen Silosolve® Forage Inoculants

by | Sep 20, 2018 | Feed & Forage Management | 0 comments

Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition is pleased to announce an enhanced partnership with one of our prominent suppliers, Chr. Hansen Animal Health and Nutrition. Chr. Hansen is the world’s leader in producing microbial technologies for a variety of applications such as cheese and yogurt cultures, human and animal probiotics, and silage inoculants. While Phoenix Feeds and Chr. Hansen have had a strong relationship for many years, 2018 will be our first year supplying their high-quality silage inoculants to you, our valued customers. Chr. Hansen has developed a broad range of silage inoculants designed to solve specific silage fermentation challenges. Phoenix Feeds will be inventorying three of the Chr. Hansen products in New Haven, Vermont to help our customers with their forages this year.

Unfortunately, we all know Mother Nature tends to throw us a curve ball. This July has been particularly dry in much of New England and that has greatly affected our hay silages. Dryer than ideal forages (40% DM or greater) have their own unique challenges, such as being more difficult to pack, more susceptible to spoilage by yeasts and molds, and more prone to heat. All of these are bad for feed, bad for farmers, and particularly bad for cows. Other years we put the feed up too wet and rather than heating, the pile turns butyric and you only have to smell that stinky feed once to know it forever.

Fortunately, Chr. Hansen developed a line of “new technology” silage inoculants to deal with each of these specific challenges. Biomax® is a standard lactic acid-producing inoculant that is designed to be used on any forages to achieve maximum pH drop in minimal time. When Mother Nature behaves, and you have your moistures where you want them, Biomax® is an all around good inoculant. If you have concerns about a feed that might go butyric (such as a wet alfalfa) then SiloSolve® MC should be in your applicator. “MC” stands for “Microbial Control” and the product is unique because it also contains a patented clostridia inhibitor. This is important because we have known for decades that if clostridia dominates the fermentation, that is the organism that makes the stinky butyric acid. And finally, to deal with the unique challenges that drier silages have, SiloSolve® FC was developed. This product is unique in that it contains a proven yeast and mold inhibitor and combines that with an oxygen-scavenging organism. This one-two punch is perfect for grass hay and corn silage as it is also proven to extend the aerobic stability of forages (meaning they won’t heat as fast or as much—and in many cases not heat at all).

In addition to bringing the latest in silage treatment technology to the market, Phoenix Feeds is a big supporter of the SiloSolve® S.A.F.E. Program. This exclusive program comes from Chr. Hansen and is available to our silage inoculant customers free of charge. The SiloSolve® S.A.F.E. program is a four-pronged approach based on the acronym:

S

STANDS FOR SILAGE INOCULANT meaning we need to keep the silage inoculant “safe” in order for it to work for you. We want to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for storage and mixing the products to keep the cultures in the products “safe.” We can provide mixing whisks and buckets to you for keeping your silage inoculant safe.

A

IS FOR APPLICATION. No company’s products can work if application equipment is not in good shape. We will work with you to inspect the applicators BEFORE the season so we can determine if any repairs need to occur. Some applicators have been found to get too hot because they are too close to the engine or exhaust. If you overheat the water that the inoculant is mixed in, that is not keeping the cultures “SAFE”. Chr. Hansen and other leading experts recommend that the water not exceed 100°F in temperature; however, temperatures as high as 120°F have been recorded in the field. Water this hot is bad for inoculants and dead bugs do not ferment silage.

F

IS FOR FEED. Our entire goal is to make quality feed. Keeping the feed “S.A.F.E.” means producing clean, quality feed that is free of molds, mycotoxins, and yeasts. Chr. Hansen products can absolutely help you there. Check out the Youtube video called “The Great Silage Challenge: SiloSolve® FC vs. Mold, Yeast and the Competition” that expands on this approach.

E

IS FOR EMPLOYEES. No silage program is good if it is not safe for employees. There have been five farm-related fatalities in Vermont alone in the first six months of this year. Phoenix Feeds and Chr. Hansen can supply high-visibility safety clothing and on-farm silage safety training to help keep employees “S.A.F.E.”

Consult with your Phoenix Feeds sales representative for more information on the Chr. Hansen Silage Inoculants and the SiloSolve® S.A.F.E. program and learn how it can help improve your operation this year.