We’ve all seen it! If you haven’t seen it, you’re probably not feeding ensiled crops to ruminants. What is “it”? Top-layer spoilage: that rind of discolored, decomposing feed often laden with yeasts, molds and mycotoxins on the top of your silage bunker or pile.

The foundation of most diets fed to dairy and beef cattle includes forages, but making them into high-quality silage that can be fed year-round is a challenge.

Producers who utilize HMC have a substantial economic investment in their pile or silo full of corn and, ideally, they’d like to get a return on that investment. There are several important factors to consider when preserving HMC.

As the much-anticipated lull in calf numbers settles down upon us, flashbacks to middle school lessons on supply and demand jog our memory as cattle prices continue to soar to new highs each month.

Krull identified several key drivers of corn silage yield and quality, including management, environment and genetics. Poor management will not compensate for poor genetics or adverse weather conditions and vice versa.

Typical silage loss can run up to 20%. Using a product that is environmentally friendly and that prevents oxygen ingress cuts that loss in half.

Properly ensiled forages can be stored for extended periods of time and support the performance and health of your herd. Alternatively, you could be dealing with spoilage, plummeting palatability and a rising feed bill.