“Due to the dry matter losses, the untreated bunker shrunk considerably more than the treated bunker, equating to 29% more feedable dry matter,” Gresham explains. Better silage increased palatability for cowsThe fermentation results from the two bunkers showed that the treated silage had superior lactic, acetic and propane diol acid profiles — plus 10 times less butyric acid. “The lower butyric acid in the treated silage indicates that clostridia, the bacteria that break down protein and cause foul-smelling silage, were effectively inhibited. More stable silage increases energy available for cows to make milkAerobic stability was also improved in the treated silage. Treated silage increased DM intakes, milk yields, fat and proteinGresham says significant improvements were also seen in performance when cows were fed the treated silage.