RWN Silage Additive

Financial Benefits of using Silage Additive

Is silage additive cost effective when milk price is low?

In an over supplied global dairy market we are seeing further pressure on already low milk prices. When milk prices fall and cash flows are tight many farmers are looking to reduce input costs in an attempt to reduce the cost of milk production.

Silage Additives can make better silage and reduce cost of milk productionAre these questions familiar?
Can the cost of silage additive really be justified? Can we manage without using a silage additive? Is it worth using silage additive? Are silage additives just another unnecessary cost? Are additives too expensive? Will we see a return on the investment? Are there better or cheaper additives out there? How much milk will we lose if we don't use an additive / silage inoculant? How much extra concentrates will we need to feed?

The cost of using silage additive is typically less than £10 / cow / winter
or 3.5 pence / cow / day

Top quality forage is key to producing high levels of animal performance at the lowest possible cost with the least amount of concentrates. Producing the best possible silages, involves getting many factors right including seed selection, fertiliser, crop management, optimum harvest dates, chop length, silage additive, consolidation in the pit, speed of harvest, clamp sealing, face management, usage rates etc.

Silage additive is one of many factors that can make better silage and reduce costs

Using an effective silage additive is just one of these factors, but it is an important one. So lets take a look at the financial justification of using an additive. How will silage additive affect farm profitability?

Savings due to Silage Additive

Silage additive can be used as a means or reducing concentrate inputs and are particularly cost effective when feed costs are high.

  • Silage Additives are very cost effective and profitable even at low milk pricesReduced dry matter losses during silage fermentation typically saves silage worth more than £15 / cow / winter.
  • Additive can save around 1.39kg concentrate / cow / day whilst maintaining cow performance. At £350 / tonne for concentrates this can save around £100 / cow / winter.
  • Other potential savings are reduced waste on surface of the silage clamp, reduced losses due to spoilage and heating at the clamp face as well as reduced risk of mycotoxins.
    These savings can be substantial.

Increased Output due to Silage Additive

Where concentrates are not reduced silage additive can be used to increase animal performance either as increased live weight gain on dairy heifers, beef and youngstock or as increased milk yields in dairy cows.

This is the case even in ideal weather conditions. Animal performance trials on a wide range of inoculants have shown increased milk yields of around 1.0 – 1.5 litres / cow / day.

  • 1 litre of milk / cow / day @ 45ppl x 200 day winter is
    worth £90 / cow / winter
  • 1.5 litres of milk / cow / day @ 45ppl x 200 day winter is
    worth £135 / cow / winter

    Silage additive can easily show 10:1 return on the investment

Overall BenefitsQuality silage can reduce concentrate costs and increase profitability

At current milk prices £1/tonne of silage spent on additive can typically add £100 per cow per winter to the bottom line.
An additional £10,000 for each 100 cows.

Visit our Silage Additives FAQ's page to find out more about how silage additives can help to increase profitability on dairy farms and also to see the advantages offered by the the Ultra-Sile range of silage additives.

For maximum benefits use Ultra-Sile silage additives.

Using a good quality Silage Inoculant to treat silages can typically add an additional
£10000 per 100 cows to the profitability of a dairy farm

For advice on better silage making and reducing feed costs, contact Richard Webster.

Independent Suppliers of Quality Feeds and Associated Products
for the High Yielding Dairy Cow

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