September 16, 2024 • 13 mins
Interested in understanding how you can mitigate feed quality losses? In this episode, Matt is joined by Shaun Body, our Portfolio Manager, and Helen France, our Hawke's Bay, Tararua & Wairarapa Area Manager, to discuss the value proposition of inoculant and how to get more value from your grass silage by minimising the drop in quality.
If you have any questions about using spring inoculants, please contact your contractor, merchant rep, or local area manager.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
G'day and welcome to Feed for Thought, a regular
podcast from Pioneer coveringeverything from farm systems to
crops and products and much,much more.
Welcome back to Feed forThought.
My name's Matt Dalley, andtoday I've got a couple of
guests and both actuallycolleagues that I've worked
closely with over the years.
One will be familiar to you itis Sean Boddy, our product
(00:26):
manager, sitting up in theWaikato, correct?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yep, that's right.
Good to be back on here, Matt.
It's probably been five or sixmonths that you've had me on, so
nice to be back, yeah longenough, some reckon.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
but no good to have you back, mate.
And we've got a new addition,helen France.
So welcome, helen France, sowelcome Helen.
Can you tell us a little bitabout yourself, your role and
time at Pioneer?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, thanks for having me.
So I started out as an areamanager in Manitou Horoponoa,
spent a couple of years there,and then have moved over to the
Lower East Coast.
I look after Hastings down toWairarapa now.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Have a pretty good mix of grain and silage.
So across those landscapeswe've got quite a changing
environment.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So cool and the reason why we've got the both of
you and is because, well, one,the product that we're going to
talk about today, sits under you, sean, but, helen, you've had a
quite an experience with thesilage making process, and then,
obviously, inoculants is that'sa important part.
So, helen, what, what arefarmers facing at the moment for
you out in the field?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
yeah, there's lots of challenges at the moment.
I think we all know that theenvironment, climatic conditions
has been very challenging overthe last couple of seasons, and
so the importance of feed andthe value of feed is crucial on
farm.
Right now we talk aboutefficiencies on farm.
This all ties into feed.
We need to be getting the bestvalue out of our feed.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Essentially, we're in the middle of spring at the
moment.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah, so we're potentially looking at surpluses
.
I always kind of say wherethere's a surplus, there's going
to be a deficit at some point.
So I guess it's justremembering the value of those
surpluses.
We're going to need them atsome point in time, so we want
to ensure that they're the bestvalue that we can, we can make
or create, essentially becausewhen we need them is when we're
(02:08):
going to need that value,essentially where there's a
deficit.
So that's definitely one factor.
Something that we can controlis using inoculant.
So for me, to create bettervalue of feed and efficiency,
inoculant is definitely one ofthose tools in the toolbox that
we can use to do that okay, andso how does inoculant actually
work?
yep.
So, um, when we're essentiallyinstalling a product, whether it
(02:31):
be grass or maize, we'rerelying on a fermentation
process which is essentiallytrying to drive the ph down.
Um, for grass, we're lookingaround that four, four and a
half, we're trying to drive thatph down.
It's like pickling, essentiallywe're trying to drive that pH
down.
It's like pickling, essentiallywe're trying to create a more
acidic environment which thendoesn't allow other, what we
(02:53):
call kind of negative bacteriato flourish.
So that's what we want to dowith grass silage If we want to
be able to store it for longer,we want to rely on that
fermentation process to drivethe pH down and create as a
stable product.
So inoculant comes in, becauseit's actually bacteria that do
that process and bacteria createlactic acid which does that
(03:16):
driving of that pH down.
So with inoculant we'reessentially adding in live
bacteria to create thatenvironment of more lactic acid.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
And so if we don't have inoculant in this space,
what are we leaving out to?
Because we've been able toinstall silage forever and a day
since Adam was a cowboy, so whydo we use inoculant in
particular, then, sean?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, it's a great question because you're right,
inoculants have been developedpost the ensiling era.
We installed foragers farlonger before then we've had
inoculants on the market.
But the reason why we introducethem is because we want to take
that fermentation pathway down,a more favorable fermentation
pathway, so one that's going toretain the quality of the feed
(04:02):
and retain the dry matter that'sactually there to be utilized,
because I always describe it asyou only ever start with like
100% of the feed quality In theensilinging phase.
You're always going to losesome quality because you're
going to need those sugars thatare there in that pasture to
build lactic acid, which willthen drive your pH down.
So if you've got bacteria thatare present on your pasture that
(04:24):
are less desirable or lessefficient, you're going to lose
more of that feed before youhave a stable product that will
then sit in your stack ready tobe fed when you need it.
So what you're trying to do ismake sure that you just minimize
that losses and that's why youadd inoculant in that process.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
So in absence of my old mate Wade Bell.
He said, well, give me somenumbers here, guys, because you
both talked about pH drop.
What are we dropping it from?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yeah, you want to crash it down to kind of, like
Helen said, that four, four anda half and you're driving lactic
acid production and you'll seethat on your feed test.
So you'll see elevated lacticacid levels if you've used a
really good inoculant and youalso see lower ammonia and
nitrogen levels, and that'sreally looking at protein
degradation.
So there's a couple of thingsyou can look at on your feed
test to understand whether thatfermentation has been good or
(05:09):
not and that's that's not just.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
On the feed test you need to tick volatile fatty
acids.
That's right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So if you're doing your, feed test always tick vfas
on there, which is yourvolatile fatty acids, and that
will give you your acid profile,which will then, you know,
gives you something to have alook at from a feed test
perspective.
Have I actually had a reallygood fermentation?
If I have you, you'll seehigher lactic acid, lower total
nitrogen.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
And so you talked about dry matter recovery as
well.
So what do I expect in thatspace when I'm doing my grass
olages?
What kind of percentages couldwe look at?
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, it's a good one .
So, depending on the product.
So we've got 1174 and 1127,which we use for pasture 27's
pasture specific 74 is probablythe most27, which we use for
pasture.
27's pasture specific 74 isprobably the most common one
that we use out in themarketplace and it's used on all
forest types.
We're talking anywhere betweena 2% to 3% dry matter recovery
rate.
So that's extra dry matter thatyou now have available to feed
(06:02):
to your animals.
So there's kind of like twosides of it.
You've got you save more drymatter through that fermentation
phase by using an inoculant andyou've also got a better
quality feed to feed to animals.
So if you're a dairy farmer,that gives you the ability to
produce more milk on that feed.
If you're a you know sheep andbeef farmer, then you can put
more weight on your animals.
So that's really where thetangible benefits then sits to
(06:24):
the farmer, which is exactly whypeople have invested their
money in using inoculant.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
And so, Helen, how do we actually go about applying
the inoculant?
So all I've heard is pH dropand we've got dry matter
recovery, but how are weactually getting this product
onto the silage?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yeah, so it's occurring basically during that
silage making process.
So a lot of contractors havethe ability to apply the
inoculant.
It comes in essentially apowder form that's then mixed up
with the water and a lot ofchoppers balers have the ability
to apply it and it's applied asa fine mist straight onto the
product as it's been choppedessentially, so it's going
(07:04):
across all the product.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
So you can't just go sprinkle on top at the end of
the process.
No, no, just before you put theplastic on.
No.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Yeah, there's definitely the benefit needs to
be that it's sprayed over thewhole entire product kind of
thing, because those bacterianeed to be across the whole
product consistently, right,okay?
Speaker 1 (07:22):
So the lactic acid doesn't just fall through the
stack, does it Unfortunately notOkay.
You can see why I'm on thisside of the table today.
Um, and so we?
We often hear the story aroundI can make good quality silos,
and so how many you got any likeexperiences with people that
have actually seen a benefit?
Or why do they actually applyinoculant themselves?
Speaker 3 (07:42):
yeah, so I mean essentially, as we've touched on
, it's that around that wholefermentation process and trying
to retain quality and it's apart of the process we can
actually control, because, Imean, a lot of the time that
fermentation process is anatural one, so we can't
influence that hugely.
But inoculant is where we can.
So Trying to retain thatquality is obviously what the
(08:03):
farmers want, but thecontractors are also wanting
that as well.
So I've got a few contractorsthat basically want to apply
inoculant to ensure they'remaking the best product, because
that's their job is to try andget the best out of what they've
got.
So it helps retain that andessentially it's ensuring
they've done everything possiblethroughout that whole process
(08:24):
to make sure that they'redelivering the best product they
can.
So by putting on inoculant it'sessentially ensuring that
they've done everything they can.
And so it's kind of the lastpiece of the puzzle really, as
Bod said, it's trying to retainthat quality.
We can't expect to put in apoorer product and get a better
(08:44):
one out of it.
Inoculant's not necessarilygoing to do that, but we're
trying to retain what we have tobegin with.
So we've only got so much andthroughout that process you are
going to get natural losses.
So inoculant's helping torecover some of those,
essentially through thattrimatter recovery.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
So, on that, like springs are challenging up and
down the country right and wemight get some rain on it, and
guys are more inclined to putinoculum on.
Why do they do that and whatare some of the things around it
that they need to remember?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yeah, well, I think you know it's not just the
silver bullet that's going tosolve all your problems.
So you know, if you get asituation where you know the
pasture's been left out two dayslonger than you would have
liked because the weather'sbeaten you, or by the time you
got to that paddock you cut it alittle bit late, so you know it
might be seeded through there,so the quality is going to be
lower.
Like Helen said, it's not goingto give you a lift in quality.
All it's going to do isminimize the reduction in
(09:35):
quality.
So you know people can, I guess, default to go no, I better use
inoculant, because they'relikely going to be poorer
quality.
So maybe that'll help.
What we kind of say is that,regardless of the situation, an
occulant will provide you abenefit.
But you always see the bestbenefit if you've got the best
quality product because you'regoing to be able to hold that
quality to then feed to youranimals.
So, um, so yeah, it's importantthat if you do get caught in
(09:57):
those situations, definitelystill use an inoculant, but
probably what I'd say is that ifyou're not in those situations
it's just as important to useone, because then you're going
to be able to retain that highquality feed for your animals
anyway.
And there's a lot of.
You know, when we think aboutmaize and pasture, there's
actually, like you know, wefocus on the maize space and you
know, matt, we've talked aboutthis before on the podcast
around.
You know the challenge withmaize at and sugar present that
(10:22):
it heats really, really quickly.
When you actually look atpasture, it's almost the
complete opposite.
We've got a product that'sreally low in sugar, so it's
actually quite hard for us toinstall it, and we've got a
product that we're field wiltingMays.
We chop and put it straight inthe bins and stack it.
We're leaving pasture out inthe field for a day or two, we
turn it, we bring soil intothere.
There's so many areas thatactually disadvantage
(10:46):
fermentation with pasturecompared to maize.
So that's why it's important tolook at fermentation products
on pastures to get that productthat you want at the end, and so
just on that.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Products, right?
So there's different productsout there in the market as well.
So we've been talking aboutinoculants, but there's also
additives and whatnot.
So how do people make thatdecision?
Everyone's inundated withmarketing material.
We send it out too.
What?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
separates the two.
Yeah, it's a real challenge, Ithink, in the inoculant space,
because it's a market thatthere's so many different
products available, right?
So, whether it be inoculants,like you say, or additives, that
oxygen scavenging, orsulfur-based products, whatever
it might be, but really you haveto come back to the fact that
(11:32):
all we're trying to do is ischange that fermentation phase
from what naturally would occurto something more favorable, and
that's why we introduce livebacteria, which is why a live
bacteria inoculant is the mostor the best product that you can
put on there.
And then you have to decipher.
Well, there's so many of them.
Which one do I use, you know?
And that's where you actuallyreally have to ask the question
of your supplier or whoever'sgiving you inoculant.
(11:53):
What is the data?
How does it provide me abenefit?
Because some lactobacillusplantarum and you'll laugh at me
, matt, you'll be like what onearth is that?
Well, that's really just I'mgetting used to it, that's
really just the process that youknow.
that's the bacteria that driveslactic acid right, and they're
not all equal, just like allcows aren't equal.
So you actually have to makesure that the product that
(12:14):
you're putting on there is goingto be more efficient and
effective than what's naturallyoccurring on that forage.
Otherwise you won't change thefermentation pathway, and that's
the important part.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Hence why even in our products we'll use a
pasture-specific or themulti-crop, and so if we've got
that specific product we shouldsee better fermentation, because
we're putting in the rightbacteria.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
That's right, yeah, and that bacteria has been
isolated and is most efficientwith dealing with plant or
pasture sugars.
You know, whether it be pastureif you've got a
leucine-specific product, that,whether it be pasture if you've
got a lucerne-specific product,that's going to be better
dealing with lucerne triggers.
So that's why we have specifics, that's why you still have
multi-crops in the market.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
So we're in the crunch time now, Helen.
What do people need to considerin terms of talking or
organising this kind of stuff?
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Yep, there is a lot of options out there, like
Sean's touched on, and sobasically we're here to help and
and support everyone, and it isa learning thing, learning
about how these things work andwhy we should be using them.
So basically, there's thecontractors are your first port
of call in terms of um, they'rethe ones applying it, and then
we've obviously got themerchants and ourselves, the
(13:19):
area managers, that are morethan happy to come out and kind
of guide you through the processand actually potentially teach
you why you should be using theinoculant and how it can
actually be of benefit to you.
So, yeah, more than happy to dothat.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Well, thank you very much, guys.
It's been a blast and I thinkit's a good time.
Little reminder as to why weshould be using inoculant,
particularly on pasture, as welead into that spring period.
So thank you both, helen.
Pasture as we lead into thatspring period, so thank you both
, helen.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Fantastic job first time on the pod and nice to have
you back, sean, so thank youvery much, thank you thanks, man
.
G'day and welcome to Feed for Thought, a regular
podcast from Pioneer coveringeverything from farm systems to
crops and products and much,much more.
Welcome back to Feed forThought.
My name's Matt Dalley, andtoday I've got a couple of
guests and both actuallycolleagues that I've worked
closely with over the years.
One will be familiar to you itis Sean Boddy, our product
(00:26):
manager, sitting up in theWaikato, correct?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yep, that's right.
Good to be back on here, Matt.
It's probably been five or sixmonths that you've had me on, so
nice to be back, yeah longenough, some reckon.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
but no good to have you back, mate.
And we've got a new addition,helen France.
So welcome, helen France, sowelcome Helen.
Can you tell us a little bitabout yourself, your role and
time at Pioneer?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, thanks for having me.
So I started out as an areamanager in Manitou Horoponoa,
spent a couple of years there,and then have moved over to the
Lower East Coast.
I look after Hastings down toWairarapa now.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Have a pretty good mix of grain and silage.
So across those landscapeswe've got quite a changing
environment.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So cool and the reason why we've got the both of
you and is because, well, one,the product that we're going to
talk about today, sits under you, sean, but, helen, you've had a
quite an experience with thesilage making process, and then,
obviously, inoculants is that'sa important part.
So, helen, what, what arefarmers facing at the moment for
you out in the field?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
yeah, there's lots of challenges at the moment.
I think we all know that theenvironment, climatic conditions
has been very challenging overthe last couple of seasons, and
so the importance of feed andthe value of feed is crucial on
farm.
Right now we talk aboutefficiencies on farm.
This all ties into feed.
We need to be getting the bestvalue out of our feed.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Essentially, we're in the middle of spring at the
moment.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah, so we're potentially looking at surpluses
.
I always kind of say wherethere's a surplus, there's going
to be a deficit at some point.
So I guess it's justremembering the value of those
surpluses.
We're going to need them atsome point in time, so we want
to ensure that they're the bestvalue that we can, we can make
or create, essentially becausewhen we need them is when we're
(02:08):
going to need that value,essentially where there's a
deficit.
So that's definitely one factor.
Something that we can controlis using inoculant.
So for me, to create bettervalue of feed and efficiency,
inoculant is definitely one ofthose tools in the toolbox that
we can use to do that okay, andso how does inoculant actually
work?
yep.
So, um, when we're essentiallyinstalling a product, whether it
(02:31):
be grass or maize, we'rerelying on a fermentation
process which is essentiallytrying to drive the ph down.
Um, for grass, we're lookingaround that four, four and a
half, we're trying to drive thatph down.
It's like pickling, essentiallywe're trying to drive that pH
down.
It's like pickling, essentiallywe're trying to create a more
acidic environment which thendoesn't allow other, what we
(02:53):
call kind of negative bacteriato flourish.
So that's what we want to dowith grass silage If we want to
be able to store it for longer,we want to rely on that
fermentation process to drivethe pH down and create as a
stable product.
So inoculant comes in, becauseit's actually bacteria that do
that process and bacteria createlactic acid which does that
(03:16):
driving of that pH down.
So with inoculant we'reessentially adding in live
bacteria to create thatenvironment of more lactic acid.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
And so if we don't have inoculant in this space,
what are we leaving out to?
Because we've been able toinstall silage forever and a day
since Adam was a cowboy, so whydo we use inoculant in
particular, then, sean?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, it's a great question because you're right,
inoculants have been developedpost the ensiling era.
We installed foragers farlonger before then we've had
inoculants on the market.
But the reason why we introducethem is because we want to take
that fermentation pathway down,a more favorable fermentation
pathway, so one that's going toretain the quality of the feed
(04:02):
and retain the dry matter that'sactually there to be utilized,
because I always describe it asyou only ever start with like
100% of the feed quality In theensilinging phase.
You're always going to losesome quality because you're
going to need those sugars thatare there in that pasture to
build lactic acid, which willthen drive your pH down.
So if you've got bacteria thatare present on your pasture that
(04:24):
are less desirable or lessefficient, you're going to lose
more of that feed before youhave a stable product that will
then sit in your stack ready tobe fed when you need it.
So what you're trying to do ismake sure that you just minimize
that losses and that's why youadd inoculant in that process.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
So in absence of my old mate Wade Bell.
He said, well, give me somenumbers here, guys, because you
both talked about pH drop.
What are we dropping it from?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yeah, you want to crash it down to kind of, like
Helen said, that four, four anda half and you're driving lactic
acid production and you'll seethat on your feed test.
So you'll see elevated lacticacid levels if you've used a
really good inoculant and youalso see lower ammonia and
nitrogen levels, and that'sreally looking at protein
degradation.
So there's a couple of thingsyou can look at on your feed
test to understand whether thatfermentation has been good or
(05:09):
not and that's that's not just.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
On the feed test you need to tick volatile fatty
acids.
That's right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
So if you're doing your, feed test always tick vfas
on there, which is yourvolatile fatty acids, and that
will give you your acid profile,which will then, you know,
gives you something to have alook at from a feed test
perspective.
Have I actually had a reallygood fermentation?
If I have you, you'll seehigher lactic acid, lower total
nitrogen.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
And so you talked about dry matter recovery as
well.
So what do I expect in thatspace when I'm doing my grass
olages?
What kind of percentages couldwe look at?
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, it's a good one .
So, depending on the product.
So we've got 1174 and 1127,which we use for pasture 27's
pasture specific 74 is probablythe most27, which we use for
pasture.
27's pasture specific 74 isprobably the most common one
that we use out in themarketplace and it's used on all
forest types.
We're talking anywhere betweena 2% to 3% dry matter recovery
rate.
So that's extra dry matter thatyou now have available to feed
(06:02):
to your animals.
So there's kind of like twosides of it.
You've got you save more drymatter through that fermentation
phase by using an inoculant andyou've also got a better
quality feed to feed to animals.
So if you're a dairy farmer,that gives you the ability to
produce more milk on that feed.
If you're a you know sheep andbeef farmer, then you can put
more weight on your animals.
So that's really where thetangible benefits then sits to
(06:24):
the farmer, which is exactly whypeople have invested their
money in using inoculant.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
And so, Helen, how do we actually go about applying
the inoculant?
So all I've heard is pH dropand we've got dry matter
recovery, but how are weactually getting this product
onto the silage?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yeah, so it's occurring basically during that
silage making process.
So a lot of contractors havethe ability to apply the
inoculant.
It comes in essentially apowder form that's then mixed up
with the water and a lot ofchoppers balers have the ability
to apply it and it's applied asa fine mist straight onto the
product as it's been choppedessentially, so it's going
(07:04):
across all the product.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
So you can't just go sprinkle on top at the end of
the process.
No, no, just before you put theplastic on.
No.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Yeah, there's definitely the benefit needs to
be that it's sprayed over thewhole entire product kind of
thing, because those bacterianeed to be across the whole
product consistently, right,okay?
Speaker 1 (07:22):
So the lactic acid doesn't just fall through the
stack, does it Unfortunately notOkay.
You can see why I'm on thisside of the table today.
Um, and so we?
We often hear the story aroundI can make good quality silos,
and so how many you got any likeexperiences with people that
have actually seen a benefit?
Or why do they actually applyinoculant themselves?
Speaker 3 (07:42):
yeah, so I mean essentially, as we've touched on
, it's that around that wholefermentation process and trying
to retain quality and it's apart of the process we can
actually control, because, Imean, a lot of the time that
fermentation process is anatural one, so we can't
influence that hugely.
But inoculant is where we can.
So Trying to retain thatquality is obviously what the
(08:03):
farmers want, but thecontractors are also wanting
that as well.
So I've got a few contractorsthat basically want to apply
inoculant to ensure they'remaking the best product, because
that's their job is to try andget the best out of what they've
got.
So it helps retain that andessentially it's ensuring
they've done everything possiblethroughout that whole process
(08:24):
to make sure that they'redelivering the best product they
can.
So by putting on inoculant it'sessentially ensuring that
they've done everything they can.
And so it's kind of the lastpiece of the puzzle really, as
Bod said, it's trying to retainthat quality.
We can't expect to put in apoorer product and get a better
(08:44):
one out of it.
Inoculant's not necessarilygoing to do that, but we're
trying to retain what we have tobegin with.
So we've only got so much andthroughout that process you are
going to get natural losses.
So inoculant's helping torecover some of those,
essentially through thattrimatter recovery.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
So, on that, like springs are challenging up and
down the country right and wemight get some rain on it, and
guys are more inclined to putinoculum on.
Why do they do that and whatare some of the things around it
that they need to remember?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yeah, well, I think you know it's not just the
silver bullet that's going tosolve all your problems.
So you know, if you get asituation where you know the
pasture's been left out two dayslonger than you would have
liked because the weather'sbeaten you, or by the time you
got to that paddock you cut it alittle bit late, so you know it
might be seeded through there,so the quality is going to be
lower.
Like Helen said, it's not goingto give you a lift in quality.
All it's going to do isminimize the reduction in
(09:35):
quality.
So you know people can, I guess, default to go no, I better use
inoculant, because they'relikely going to be poorer
quality.
So maybe that'll help.
What we kind of say is that,regardless of the situation, an
occulant will provide you abenefit.
But you always see the bestbenefit if you've got the best
quality product because you'regoing to be able to hold that
quality to then feed to youranimals.
So, um, so yeah, it's importantthat if you do get caught in
(09:57):
those situations, definitelystill use an inoculant, but
probably what I'd say is that ifyou're not in those situations
it's just as important to useone, because then you're going
to be able to retain that highquality feed for your animals
anyway.
And there's a lot of.
You know, when we think aboutmaize and pasture, there's
actually, like you know, wefocus on the maize space and you
know, matt, we've talked aboutthis before on the podcast
around.
You know the challenge withmaize at and sugar present that
(10:22):
it heats really, really quickly.
When you actually look atpasture, it's almost the
complete opposite.
We've got a product that'sreally low in sugar, so it's
actually quite hard for us toinstall it, and we've got a
product that we're field wiltingMays.
We chop and put it straight inthe bins and stack it.
We're leaving pasture out inthe field for a day or two, we
turn it, we bring soil intothere.
There's so many areas thatactually disadvantage
(10:46):
fermentation with pasturecompared to maize.
So that's why it's important tolook at fermentation products
on pastures to get that productthat you want at the end, and so
just on that.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Products, right?
So there's different productsout there in the market as well.
So we've been talking aboutinoculants, but there's also
additives and whatnot.
So how do people make thatdecision?
Everyone's inundated withmarketing material.
We send it out too.
What?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
separates the two.
Yeah, it's a real challenge, Ithink, in the inoculant space,
because it's a market thatthere's so many different
products available, right?
So, whether it be inoculants,like you say, or additives, that
oxygen scavenging, orsulfur-based products, whatever
it might be, but really you haveto come back to the fact that
(11:32):
all we're trying to do is ischange that fermentation phase
from what naturally would occurto something more favorable, and
that's why we introduce livebacteria, which is why a live
bacteria inoculant is the mostor the best product that you can
put on there.
And then you have to decipher.
Well, there's so many of them.
Which one do I use, you know?
And that's where you actuallyreally have to ask the question
of your supplier or whoever'sgiving you inoculant.
(11:53):
What is the data?
How does it provide me abenefit?
Because some lactobacillusplantarum and you'll laugh at me
, matt, you'll be like what onearth is that?
Well, that's really just I'mgetting used to it, that's
really just the process that youknow.
that's the bacteria that driveslactic acid right, and they're
not all equal, just like allcows aren't equal.
So you actually have to makesure that the product that
(12:14):
you're putting on there is goingto be more efficient and
effective than what's naturallyoccurring on that forage.
Otherwise you won't change thefermentation pathway, and that's
the important part.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Hence why even in our products we'll use a
pasture-specific or themulti-crop, and so if we've got
that specific product we shouldsee better fermentation, because
we're putting in the rightbacteria.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
That's right, yeah, and that bacteria has been
isolated and is most efficientwith dealing with plant or
pasture sugars.
You know, whether it be pastureif you've got a
leucine-specific product, that,whether it be pasture if you've
got a lucerne-specific product,that's going to be better
dealing with lucerne triggers.
So that's why we have specifics, that's why you still have
multi-crops in the market.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
So we're in the crunch time now, Helen.
What do people need to considerin terms of talking or
organising this kind of stuff?
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Yep, there is a lot of options out there, like
Sean's touched on, and sobasically we're here to help and
and support everyone, and it isa learning thing, learning
about how these things work andwhy we should be using them.
So basically, there's thecontractors are your first port
of call in terms of um, they'rethe ones applying it, and then
we've obviously got themerchants and ourselves, the
(13:19):
area managers, that are morethan happy to come out and kind
of guide you through the processand actually potentially teach
you why you should be using theinoculant and how it can
actually be of benefit to you.
So, yeah, more than happy to dothat.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Well, thank you very much, guys.
It's been a blast and I thinkit's a good time.
Little reminder as to why weshould be using inoculant,
particularly on pasture, as welead into that spring period.
So thank you both, helen.
Pasture as we lead into thatspring period, so thank you both
, helen.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Fantastic job first time on the pod and nice to have
you back, sean, so thank youvery much, thank you thanks, man
.
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