Pioneering Better Silage Production

William and David Irvine farm the Halftown Holstein herd at Mountnorris in County Armagh. A strong emphasis has always been placed on making and conserving high quality forage. A key element to producing high quality forage is using PIONEER® forage additives.
William explains, “We have used PIONEER® additives on this farm for at least the last 25 years. I see that these additives improve and ferment my forages consistently, and therefore I see no reason to change.”
Three cuts of silage are taken each year with PIONEER® additive applied to each cut.

William continues, “Depending on grass dry matter, I apply either PIONEER® 11A44 to grass with a dry matter greater than 30% or PIONEER® 1188 to grass with dry matter less than 30%, to ensure the correct preservation requirements of each forage. Our first cut silage made in 2021 received PIONEER® 11A88 and has analysed very well at 28% dry matter, 12.1 MJ/kg ME and 18.4% protein. Preservation of this forage occurred quickly and efficiently thanks to the PIONEER® additive.”

Allen Jones, Ruminant Sales Specialist at Fane Valley Feeds explains, “PIONEER®1188 is a grass silage inoculant containing four strains of lacto-bacillus plantarum and two strains of enterococcus faecium. Applied as a liquid this multi-strain approach allows for a faster fermentation than an untreated pit. A quicker fermentation can deliver a 20% reduction to in-silo losses, a 46% reduction of ammonia content, a 3.5% increase in forage digestibility and on feeding, a 50% increase in rumen microbial protein.”

William concluded, “When investigating the merits of PIONEER® I was quick to note the local trial work conducted at the Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland (Hillsborough). They demonstrated that, even with a second cut silage at 32.5% dry matter, PIONEER® 1188 lifted milk yields by an impressive 1.45kgs per day. Whichever way I looked at it, PIONEER®® 1188 was a great investment. I now use PIONEER® additives on every crop and the return on investment is evident on my farm!”

Fane Valley Feeds is the Northern Ireland distributor for PIONEER® forage inoculants. For more information on the PIONEER® range of silage inoculants contact your local Representative today or call 028 8224 3221.