MultiMax...the new silage additive designed for multi-cut silage

Kelvin Cave is delighted to have added a new product to its silage preservative range which specifically meets the demands of multi-cut grass systems.

Called MultiMax, the preservative-based additive has been formulated to wipe out spoilage bacteria which can be prevalent in silage harvested in the tight weather windows which are often a feature of multi-cut grass.

Both soil contamination and slurry residues can be a concern when silage is being cut against the clock and on many UK farms today, the timing of harvest has become a priority in order to achieve the desired number of cuts and to maximise the energy, digestibility and quantity of grass that’s conserved across the season.

Limitations on wilting can also be a feature of multi-cut grass so the product has been formulated to preserve forages whose dry matter may be lower than desirable, running from the low 20s to a maximum of 35%.

This also makes the product particularly suitable for diverse grass leys, whose variability of species may lead to uneven wilting and patches within the swath which remain at a somewhat lower dry matter than the average.

Michael Carpenter, Kelvin Cave’s technical director, says: “MultiMax has been formulated to have a very strong effect against spoilage bacteria and especially those which develop in the lower dry matter range.

“One of its ingredients, sodium nitrite, is the most potent inhibitor of undesirable clostridia,” he says.

“This is also the only silage additive we know of which has been tested with heavy levels of soil and clostridial contamination,” he adds. “Even in this situation it has been proven to achieve a desirable fermentation, producing high levels of lactic acid with no presence of butyric acid and other end-products of an undesirable fermentation.

“This gives the farmer, particularly those using multi-cut systems, the confidence to cut, even when conditions may be sub-optimal and still have the best possible chance of a good fermentation.”

MultiMax has also proven to be effective at ensuring a rapid and significant drop in pH by enabling a spontaneous natural lactic acid fermentation, despite a high buffering capacity, whether this comes from soil or a high level of legumes in the sward.

“We are confident MultiMax will meet an important and growing demand in the silage-making season and we believe it will be extremely cost-effective across UK farms,” says Michael.

However, he recommends growers always seek advice on their choice of additive as there is a range of KC products available for silages across the spectrum including those with a higher dry matter where the primary challenge may be aerobic stability. “Where your challenge is aerobic stability, other products in our portfolio would be more suitable,” he says.

More details on MultiMax and the background to its development appear in the article MultiMax in multi-cut grass systems.