Forage inoculants

By Dr. Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
Warmer temperatures create the perfect environment for spoilage in your forages. Chang-Der Bedrosian explains how a forage inoculant with L. buchneri 40788 can help prevent spoilage, as well as when you are better off not using it.

By Dr. Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
Preserving as much true protein quality as possible in your homegrown forages is an important part of ensiling, and utilizing that protein efficiently will lead to greater overall profitability. One way to achieve both of those goals is with a research-proven forage inoculant.

You spend all year trying to maximize forage yield and quality, but now you need to preserve it. Using forage inoculants can help preserve as much forage dry matter as possible.

By Dr. Michelle Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
The decision of which inoculant to use is an important one. With so many challenges this growing season, this is not the year to skimp on inoculants, but you also need to decide what inoculant is best for your situation.

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
While many producers are concerned with making sure all equipment is prepared for harvest, proper inoculant handling and transportation to the field is often overlooked.  When it comes to your inoculant, you need to make sure you have a plan in place before you hit the fields.

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
Each year, dairy producers and custom harvesters ask, "Can I use chlorinated or city water to mix my inoculant?"  With a few exceptions, the answer is yes, but watch for extremes.

By Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
Each year, inoculant companies and their representatives vie for your business.  Decisions should be based on proven facts rather than marketing, smoke and mirrors.  To help, we'd like to share some myths we've heard as well as some scientific responses to help "clear the smoke."

Corn silage harvest is in full gear across most of the Midwest!  As you get a few minutes out of the fields, check to see how harvest has been going in your area.

Editor’s note:  In addition to multiple customer service responsibilities at Vita Plus Gagetown in Gagetown, Michigan, Dwain Ewald takes the lead on maintenance services for customers’ forage inoculant applicators. 

By Dwain Ewald, Vita Plus Gagetown customer service
With cold temperatures and piles of snow on the ground, it’s sometimes hard to think about and prepare for the upcoming forage season.  However, doing a little maintenance now can save a lot of time when things get rolling in the spring.  In this article, I will focus on the maintenance of the DE-1000 and DE-1008.5 forage inoculant applicator units manufactured by Dohrmann Enterprises, Inc.  Maintenance steps are similar for both machines.

By Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical service specialist
Dairy cows are fed silage all year-round.  This means selecting the right inoculant for your operation has the potential to impact the farm’s bottom line on many fronts.  With the inoculant market becoming flooded with so many different choices, it's getting harder to decide which inoculant is right for your needs.   A good inoculant should meet certain qualifications before being considered for use on a farm.  These qualifications include the following...

Mark Case is a Vita Plus dairy specialist in western Michigan and Dwain Ewald is a customer service specialist with Vita Plus Gagetown. Case and Ewald work closely with producers to troubleshoot and maintain their inoculant applicators and also support their other forage needs.