Add natural flavour and increase silage intakes

Biophage Beef™ has natural flavours added to it that will encourage stock to eat more of the home produced fodder. Aimed at beef producers, this new 'stock specific' grass silage preservative, has been introduced by the Denis Brinicombe Group for the 2007 silage-making season.

A unique natural flavour additive has been developed by the Group's Technical Department, which has been incorporated into the preservative. This has the effect of improving palatability. The result of enhancing the taste and flavour of the later cut grasses is increased intakes of a home produced fodder reducing the reliance on brought in feeds.

The natural flavour additive in Biophage Beef™ is combined with the four specific lactic acid producing bacteria, found in the well proven preservative, Biophage Xtreme™. Enzymes are included, which break down cell walls to rapidly release all available grass sugars, while the addition of growth nutrients create the opportunity to double bacteria numbers, from 1 million to 2 million cfu per gram of grass, when silage-making conditions become difficult. All these elements contribute to make for a rapid fermentation, producing a stable, palatable clamp or big bale silage in all weather conditions.

"We see the development of this natural flavour addition to a proven product as a great step forward," said James Brinicombe, Group Director. "Firstly, by using Biophage Beef™ the rapid fermentation produced will ensure that the maximum feed value is retained in the grass silage. Secondly, by improving palatability, using the flavouring, uptakes will be greater. This can sometimes be a problem with home produced fodder that is often cut later in the season and may contain tougher grasses," he added.

By using Biophage Beef™ silage can be stabilised within two days, rather than the 14 days in traditionally made silage made without any preservative. Losses are therefore kept to a minimum. For instance, if 1000 tonnes of grass put into a clamp, often only 800 tonnes of silage are taken out, and at very best 900 tonnes. A good additive will help to reduce losses by about 5-10% minimum (or 50t – 100t) and the average cost of clamp silage, at today's prices, is about £25t. If the farmer saves 50t then the additive has paid for itself, even before counting better Live Weight Gain (LWG), which in the case of Biophage Beef™, has been proven, in trials, to increase by a minimum of 90g/head/day. This does not take into account the waste of resources in cutting, carting and ensiling.