Not all silage inoculants are alike

What’s the goal for your silage inoculant? That’s the question that Richard Muck, agricultural engineer with the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, wants you to ask before you buy a silage inoculant. There are two main types of inoculants:

• Traditional homofermentative types, such as Lactobacillus plantarum.
• Heterofermenter types, such as Lactobacillus
  buchneri. 

Each works differently and should be used in different situations, explains Muck. He recommends the following rules-of-thumb:

• If you want to make good silage better, use a homofermenter.
• If you need to improve aerobic stability, use a heterofermenter.

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