Alfalfa Baleage/Silage Preservatives: Do They Work? Are They Economical?

There are many variables with silage production including - type of silage operation (silo, bunk, tube, or wrapped bale), weather, packing or bale density, speed of covering. Therefore, no two silage crops are ever the same, which is why researchers are reluctant to give blanket statements regarding when and how to use silage inoculants. There has been a lot of good research though in recent years about the effect of silage inoculants under various management and conditions. What follows is an overview of this research and some general recommendations. Much of this overview was taken from a very good fact sheet written by Richard Muck from the USDA-ARS Dairy Forage Research Center in Wisconsin. I have listed how to download this and related publications in the reference section