Silage Doctor

 

Read below for posted questions and answers from the Silage Doctor. Please visit again soon for new questions and answers.

CLICK HERE to submit your own question to the Silage Doctor.

 

 

Question:

"Could you please provide information on the Enterococcus (Streptococcus) faecium bacterium, and any concerns if this bacterium is used in an inoculant? Do the proteolytic actions of this bacterium have consequences on the performance of the silostop product?"

 

Answer:

 

Answering to the inquiry above, the goal from the start at the time of ensiling is to speed up the fermentation, shutting down plant enzymes that are released (particularly those that degrade protein and amino-acids) and undesired microorganisms that will further used the these degradation products to ammonia-N and other nitrogenous compounds. Silostop promotes its product based on a more effective barrier to oxygen and, with along with fast pH drop, the rate and extend of proteolysis would be reduced. Thus, E. faecium, which are proteolytic with strong aminopeptidase activity, would not be the best choice as microbial inoculant.

 

They are included in some products because they are very tough and as consequence stay viable for a long period of time. From the Joint Genome Institute website: “They are robust microbes able to tolerate relatively high salt and acid concentrations. They also seem to be able to withstand low levels of detergents, explaining why inadequate cleaning procedures can promote Enterococcus infections.”

 

Additionally, from the Microbe Wikipedia website: “E. faecium is considered a super-bug. It can colonize many organs of the body including the gastrointestinal tract and the skin, and can also survive for long periods on inanimate objects. This along with its multi-drug resistant characteristics makes it a particularly nasty pathogen.”

 

Best regards,
The Silage Doctor

 

 

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Question:

"Some of our Australian contractors have asked if there is any data on applying inoculants into the back of the spout on the new series Claas forage harvesters compared to the Dohrmann that they are used to using.

Claas have the option of their low volume system, (similar pump to Dohrmann) that is applied into the back of the spout just above the pivot point.

 

Observations from the contractors so far:

  • Tank not insulated
  • Vee bottom tank with outlet at the bottom, blocks easily even when inoculant is pre mixed,
  • no strainer in tank
  • Difficult to calibrate
  • Inoculant drips out the bottom of the chute below where it is injected

Solutions so far have been to fit the Dohrmann tank and flow meter from their old machines to give a better result, but they are still concerned if they are applying inoculant to all the silage. Is inoculant being blown out the spout before being mixed? As moisture often appears to be separated from forage as it leaves the spout."

 

Answer:

 

The main question that I would raise would be does Claas have data to prove that the system gives reliable application? This should be using some sort of marker, not just, “Well, we applied an inoculant and the silage came out good, so the applicator must have worked.”.

 

When the DE 1000 first came on the market, both Dr Limin Kung and I doubted its efficacy. This feeling was enhanced when we asked Dohrmann for data proving that it worked and they had none. So, I set up a study with Limin to show that it did not work (though I told him the study was to validate the system, as I did not want to skew his view going into the study). The process we used was to add a salt, dysprosium sulphate, to the solution in the tank. This is a naturally occurring salt, that has the ability to absorb radiation at a very specific rate, i.e. one 1 g absorbs 10 x as much as 0.1 g, etc. So, we could do all the study in the field without any concerns of using isotopes, etc. then get sample to the lab, bombard them with radiation, subtract the background level in the untreated samples, and get a precise measurement of the amount of the salt in a sample, and so the distribution achieved by the applicator. The results we achieved with the DE 1000 were stunning and Limin and I became overnight converts and the biggest advocates of the system!

 

So, Claas should be able to produce similar data, not necessarily the same technique, but using a marker of some sort, otherwise we would have to assume, until proven otherwise, that their system does not work. By the way, they key with the Dohrmann is the point of application, either at the knives or at the accelerator on the blower, where the flow is turbulent. Along the chute/ spout the flow is more laminar and so it would be less likely that thorough mixing would occur. Do you have a photo showing where the product is applied?

 

Best regards,
The Silage Doctor

 

 

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Question:

"What level of propionic acid would you need for 40% high-moisture shelled corn? Also, what would be the cause of an orange-colored mold?"

 

Answer:

 

Thank you for your question.


Please review our table of recommended application rates of propionic acid to preserve high moisture corn.


SD Graph


These amounts are in pounds of propionic acid per 1000 lbs of wet corn, so you will need to double that amount to equal one ton. Also, you will need to convert for percent of propionic acid in the product: If the product is 70% propionic acid, you will need to divide by 0.7; if 60%, divide by 0.6, and so on.


Use a lower rate for well-mixed corn and a higher rate if acid and grain cannot be well-mixed.


Orange-colored mold likely indicates rust. I have seen these on silages all over the world, especially heavily on oils palm kernel fronds, strangely, in Malaysia years ago. From the recent paper presented at the UF-Gainesville group at ADSA: “Southern rust is an aggressive disease caused by Puccina polysora fungi that can destroy a corn field in a few days. It is dispersed by airborne spores that form orange, circular pustules mainly on the upper leaf surface. The fungus diverts nutrients away from the plant causing leaf death.” Click Here for a posterette of that paper that shows how effective Biotal® Buchneri 500 was on the rust-infested materials.

 

Best regards,
The Silage Doctor

 

 

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Question:

"Our dairy producers will finally have a couple of days without rain and are starting to harvest high moisture corn. I’ve received several reports of a blue-black mold growing on the corn kernels, it sounds like many cobs are affected. I have information regarding drying and storage to prevent or reduce further mold growth. Do you have any comments regarding putting up and storing HM Corn?"

 

Answer:

 

I would basically re-iterate what I said in my note and recommend they put it up at 28-32% moisture as HMC treated with Buchneri 500 at the HMC rate. The Pedio will get it anaerobic, stopping the mold growth, far quicker than any dry down will. And then the LB will reduce the mold numbers during storage.

But do beware of toxins that may come in on the crop from the field. The mold you describe could include Penicilliium, which is capable of producing a number of nasty toxins.

 

Best regards,
The Silage Doctor

 

 

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Question:

"We have a customer, who for a number of reasons has just started chopping corn for silage. The silage is being bagged, is processed well, has good chop length, however it is 45 – 48% dry matter. Because of the economic situation he refuses to use an inoculant. He will not need to start feeding this until about mid-November. What fermentation problems might we expect?"

 

Answer:

 

At that DM level there are a number of issues:

  1. The material will not compact readily, there will be more air entrained in the material at ensiling and so increased aerobic challenge. I don't think you can achieve a high enough packing density with a bag for me to be comfortable about putting this stuff in one. The fermentation will be slow, because of the amount of air entrained, so there will be DM losses and chances for not so nice bugs to grow.

  2. That will also become an issue at feedout: air will suck back into the face more readily.

  3. At that high DM, the fermentation will of course be restricted, so there will be a lot less fermentation acids formed. This in itself will lower the overall preservation status of the material.

  4. This must be overly mature and/ or stressed material, so we can expect there will be higher levels of yeasts and molds, increasing the aerobic challenge further still. He will be feeding from November on, which will help, but there will be heat generated from within and I would be surprised if he does not see some stability issues and spoilage.

  5. Also need to beware of potential for mycotoxins. If he starts to feed this stuff and production is not where expected based on the true (analyzed) quality of the finished silage, try putting a good binder (a bentonite plus a MOS: both should have data showing they work, my definition of "good") and see if there is a response (need to give the binder 30 days).

  6. Even though the stuff has been processed, the starch digestibility could be an issue. This will increase during storage, so starch digestibility should be checked at least once a month and the ration adjusted accordingly. NDFD will also increase during storage, so check that out too.

 

Best regards,
The Silage Doctor

 

 

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Question:

"We recently began to notice a silage pile of ours with different colored spots scattered throughout the area. Some parts are an orange color, some are yellowish and some look just fine. But when handling the colored parts, a colored residue appears on your hands.

We also noticed a “chlorine-like” smell from our field when we were cutting for silage. Would this be an issue caused by fungus or mold growing on our corn plants?"

 

Answer:

 

Dear Sir,

Are these colors becoming apparent because of the growth of molds, or are the just colors within the plant material?  If it is mold growth, they should be able to see that the orange and yellow colors are due to spores and that underneath the spores the fungus is growing as a white mycelia growth (like white threads).

 

If the color is within the plant material, and given the "chlorine-like" smell and the fact that it discolors the hands, I believe what we are seeing here is that the plant had a high level of nitrates in patches (maybe due to drought stress?).  These nitrates get converted into oxides of nitrogen in the silage, even in some cases into nitric acid, which can cause the bright yellow color, and can even cause the silage to go "bleached" looking.  If this is what it is the pH of those yellow patches will be pretty low (c. pH 2, maybe even lower).

 

If this is what it is, the orange bits are more of a concern, since they may be giving off nitrogen dioxide, an orange gas that is heavier than air (so sinks and swirls around, a bit like carbon dioxide in the "smoke effects" used by 70's rock bands).  This gas is very toxic: I am attaching a technical bulletin we produced on it for more information.  Needless to say, they need to be very careful as they feed this out, being sure to avoid inhaling any of the orangey gas and being careful to mix the silage thoroughly in the ration, so that a cow does not get a slug of stuff at very low pH. Best would be to carefully remove all the yellow and orange stuff and toss it.

 

Checking the pH of the yellow bits will tell us a lot.  If some of the yellow stuff and the orange stuff is sent for analysis, I would expect an elevated N-level. It would also be interesting to test some more of the body of the silage see if it all has high nitrates.

 

Best regards,
The Silage Doctor

 

 

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Question:

"We are exporting our corn silage to the neighbors countries, we are looking to increase the dry matter up to 50/60%. To minimize the transportation cost, we decided to mix the corn straw with the corn silage and 10% molasses.

To reach the maximum dry matter, but as known the corn straw fiber contain high lignin, what should I add to make the corn straw more digestible and get the best result?"

-General Manager
Mounir George Khamis

 

Answer:

 

Dear Sir,

Thanks for your question.

 

One strategy that has been employed successfully to enhance the digestibility of straw is to treat with anhydrous ammonia. I am also aware of people having used caustic soda to treat and enhance the straw digestibility. Both these approaches result in an alkaline material, so there has to be some care taken to make sure that the pH is increased to a point that ensures stability (c. 9).

 

It would also be possible to treat the material with an inoculant containing an enzyme formulation, but the improvement in digestibility would be less dramatic than with either anhydrous ammonia or caustic.

 

Some information on caustic treatment:

  • A variety of methods of treating straw with alkalis--NaOH, NH3 and Ca(OH)2--have been developed. These vary in cost of treatment, effectiveness and suitability for different situations. They are broadly classified into soaking (wet) methods and spray (dry) methods. In the former the straw is soaked in 10 or more litres of a 1.5% NaOH solution/kg straw and washed in a closed system from which water is not discarded. A wet straw is produced with a sodium content of about 2%. Organic matter digestibility increases by 20 percentage units for an expenditure of 4–5 kg of NaOH/100 kg straw. Dry methods increase digestibility by 15 units with 4–5 kg NaOH if heat is applied; otherwise the increase is only about 10 units. When dry-treated straw is the main component of the diet, the level of NaOH/100 kg straw must be limited to 4–5 kg to avoid stress to animals from sodium. Higher levels of 7–9 kg/100 kg straw can, however, be used to obtain still greater increases in digestibility when straw constitutes only half of the diet. Ca(OH)2 is as effective as NaOH, but, because it is less soluble, reacts more slowly and Ca(OH)2-treated straw must therefore be ensiled for 4–5 months. NH3 is less effective than NaOH, the maximum increase in digestibility being about 12 units. This is achieved with 3–4 kg. NH3/100 kg straw at ambient temperatures and treatment periods of 2–8 weeks. Heating does not appear to improve the efficiency of NH3 treatment. Detailed descriptions of each method are given in this report and each method is critically evaluated.
  • The initial digestibility of straw varies between 35 and 55%. Treatment increases this by 10–20 units depending upon the method used, the extent of increase among straws being more or less independent of initial digestibility. Thus treated straw varies widely in digestibility, and this variability is as much as is encountered in hay and silage. For efficient utilization, farmers will have to be advised individually on the use of treated straw as they are for hay and silage; i.e., the digestibilities of individual lots of treated straw will have to be determined by in vitro techniques by the advisory service and feeding recommendations made to suit the quality of the straw. Factors which affect initial digestibility are specie, variety, year, and method of handling.
  • The digestibility of treated straw can be depressed if it is fed in diets with more than about 30% concentrates, as is the digestibility of all roughages. In general this depression is greater with highly digestible roughages than with those of lower digestibility. With straws this means that in high-concentrate diets the digestibility of treated and untreated straws often become the same; i.e., there is no benefit from treating straws used in high-concentrate diets. An exception to this appears to be if treatment is done with a larger amount of alkali--7–9 kg NaOH/100 kg. The high alkalinity of the straw probably counteracts the tendency with such diets for the pH of the rumen contents to fall and thus ensures the maintenance of conditions favourable to the activity of cellulolytic organisms.

For additional information, you may want to review the following items:

Ammoniation of straw using urea, ammonia gas or ammonium hydroxide

Ammoniation of Low-quality Roughages

 

Best regards,
The Silage Doctor

 

 

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Question:

"I made alfalfa silage with inoculant and now we note it’s clearly less brown than the silage without inoculant treatment. Could you explain this color difference?"
-Hector

 

Answer:

 

Dear Hector,


The brown color is caused by non-enzymatic browning (the Maillard reaction) due to a reaction between sugars and proteins in the crop. As a chemical reaction, the rate of the reaction is increased by heating (for example, the browning on the top surface of a loaf of bread when it is baked), so the untreated silage has more brown color because it has heated significantly during the initial ensiling fermentation. Using a good, proven inoculant will give a faster, more efficient fermentation, with less heat generated and the ensiled alfalfa will be green, as it should be.

 

Best regards,
The Silage Doctor

 

 

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Question:

"Cereal silage is being harvested when the temperature ranged from -5 to 10 degrees C. at 70% plus moisture. What concerns would you have and how would you deal with them?"
-Dave

 

Answer:

 

Dear Dave,

 

Obviously this does raise some issues.  As you know, as the temperature decreases, the rate of biological processes decreases, which includes the growth and fermentation rates of the bacteria required to ensile the crop.  This is coupled with the fact that the cereal silage crop is usually low in natural lactic bacteria, as it is mature material. Confoundingly, this also means that it is more likely to be carrying a high level of yeasts and molds, leading to potential issues with aerobic stability.  Thus it is important that the material be treated with something that is going to minimize yeast and mold growth in the silage, and something that will get going at the low ambient temperatures.  If this is a microbial, then it itself will generate heat as it grows, and so in large silage structures filled in the dead of winter, typically we still see the silage reaching temperatures in the 20’s (Celsius).  Check to see that the microbial has been tested and or proven in commercial use in these wintery conditions.

 

Preventing yeast and mold growth basically boils down to one of two options: Lactobacillus buchneri-based inoculants or the application of a propionic-acid based chemical additive at the rate recommended and validated by the manufacturer.  Of the LB-based inoculants, only those containing a high dose rate (400,000 CFU/ g silage; 600,000 CFU/g HMC) of the strain L. buchneri 40788 have been reviewed by the US FDA and allowed to claim improved aerobic stability.

 

The final issue then is preventing the product from freezing in the tank while during chopping.  This can be at least partially obviated by using an applicator with an insulated reservoir (e.g. the DE 1000 from Dohrmann).  Additionally, with the Biotal brand inoculants we have tested the inclusion of 10% anti-freeze in with the inoculant in the applicator reservoir and have found this effective and to have no negative effect on the viability of the Biotal products.

 

Under no circumstances should a dry applied product be used on this type of material.

 

Best regards,
The Silage Doctor

 

 

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