Because most grasses and legumes are wilted before harvesting, addition of molasses is not indicated. Dried beet pulp, citrus pulp, and hominy absorb water from excessively wet forages. The addition of water-soluble carbohydrate increases the cost of the feedstuff. Also, it is difficult to distribute it evenly in the forage. The increased chance of high residual water-soluble carbohydrate may stimulate aerobic instability at feedout.
Lactic acid is the predominant volatile fatty acid in the best-quality silage.
Much silage is wasted when improper feedout promotes aerobic microbial activity. Fermentation is complex, and the choice of silage additives can be confusing. Understanding of silage quality is a strong asset for veterinarians providing nutritional consultation to dairy clients. Determining whether poor silage quality is depressing livestock production can be simple or complicated. Veterinarians can benefit from developing alliances with forage experts in universities and the technical support staff of suppliers of silage additives and bacterial inoculants.