“This and last year’s cool, wet springs added to the challenge of making high-quality forage. With higher moistures than desired, low sugar content and higher ash levels sometimes resulted in poor fermentation and the production of butyric acid. Butyric acid is a strong acid that overrides the production of the preferred lactic acid, which gives good fermented silage that well-preserved smell.”
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About the Author: Steve Massie
Steve Massie has over 30 years’ of experience in the dairy nutrition and management field. He grew up on a small, family farm with a diverse livestock operation including 120 dairy cows. He graduated from the Ohio State University with a Bachelors in Nutrition and a MS in Dairy Science with a nutrition emphasis. He is currently head of the Nutrition and Marketing Departments and covers the Midwest and Far-West supporting the Renaissance consultants in that geography.