Don’t let maize silage feed value slip through your fingers

11 June 2025

With enough energy in a hectare of fresh forage maize to support maybe 30,000 litres of milk production, if cow maintenance needs are already met, don’t let the hard work and investment that has gone into growing the crop go to waste. Especially if overall silage stocks are tight.

That is the message from Volac’s Ken Stroud, who says even typical losses in maize clamps equate to 1 in every 10 trailer loads of dry matter (DM) ensiled being lost, but they can reach 2 in 10 trailer loads if management is poor.

It’s obvious when losses from heating occur, caused by yeasts and moulds in the silage,” says Ken. “But losses also come from inefficient fermentation, caused by unwanted bacteria such as those from soil.

“What’s crucial to remember about all these unwanted bugs is they feed on the sugars and starches first. So the remaining DM is of lower feed value. If tight on silage, these are the last things you want.”

To reduce losses, Ken highlights five steps to get right: (1) Harvest the crop when ripe but still green, rather than brown and dying when it’s likely to contain more yeasts and moulds. (2) Leave a long enough stubble to reduce contamination from soil. (3) Chop short enough and roll the clamp properly to achieve good compaction. (4) Protect with a proven, dual-action inoculant. (5) Thoroughly seal and weight clamps to keep them airtight. 

“The easy-to-use inoculant Ecocool is ideal for maize because it contains the same trustworthy, beneficial ‘MTD/1’ bacteria found in Ecosyl to improve fermentation, plus beneficial ‘PJB/1’ bacteria to inhibit yeast and mould growth and keep silage cool.

In these ways, Ecocool has been proven to cut fermentation and aerobic spoilage (heating) DM losses,” he says. “But also, compared to a potential 30,000 litres of milk per hectare from maize, the cost of protecting it with Ecocool is a drop in the ocean. 

“Also if struggling with silage shortages this season, don’t forget the value of autumn-cut grass silage. Although potentially more difficult to wilt than spring and summer cuts, it can be high in energy and protein, but it does need help with fermentation, so here we recommend the proven inoculant, Ecosyl,” Ken adds.

Learn more about how Ecocool can help protect your maize silage this season