Success stories

Name: Justin Cunfer, DVM

Location: Lehighton, Pennsylvania, USA

Size: 30 breeding animals and between 50 to 60 feedlot steers

Inoculant: MAGNIVA Titanium

  Justin Cunfer, DVM, raises Black Angus cattle while simultaneously operating Cunfer Veterinary Services in Lehighton, Pa. In both roles, he relies on products that support animal well-being and economic returns. Dr. Cunfer and his wife, Katie, operate the Never Done Farm where most of the beef is sold through custom orders. Together, they care for 30 breeding animals and between 50 to 60 feedlot steers. The operation relies on a plentiful supply of nutritious corn silage and baleage. Producing high-quality feedstuffs helps maintain cattle productivity and support overall herd health and reproduction. Recently, Dr. Cunfer made the switch from granular forage inoculants to a water-soluble concentrate. In his experience, the granular product did not apply evenly, and mold was still visible after ensiling. Mold was a no-go for Dr. Cunfer, who knows that spoiled silage can result in reduced feed intake and decreased production. When fed unpalatable silage, cattle will not eat as much and what they do eat will be lower in important nutrients and potentially contaminated with undesirable microbes. In fact, a Kansas State University study in beef cattle showed including even 5.4% spoiled silage (as part of a 90% silage ration) had negative effects on nutrient digestibility, and the integrity of the forage mat in the rumen was destroyed. That’s why Dr. Cunfer turned to MAGNIVA Titanium, a research-proven forage inoculant containing Pediococcus pentosaceus NCIMB 12455 and the high dose rate Lactobacillus buchneri NCIMB 40788. It is the only silage inoculant reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow claims for improved aerobic stability — providing maximum feedout stability and minimum spoilage. The inoculant helps achieve a fast initial fermentation and get the silage to a low, stable pH; aerobic organisms are then stifled and can no longer use valuable nutrients. Plus, anaerobic bacteria like clostridia and enterobacteria are overwhelmed. It’s a difference Dr. Cunfer can see when he pulls down silage every morning for feeding. “MAGNIVA Titanium has shown better overall feed value for our operation,” Dr. Cunfer says. “We have noticed that the cattle seem happier and eat better since we started using MAGNVA Titanium.”

Name: Samuel Goering

Location: Dayton, Virginia, USA

Size: 230 Holstein cows and 240 replacement heifers

Inoculant: MAGNIVA Silver

  Samuel Goering is an expert at seed selection for his corn, barley and triticale farm near Dayton, Va. As a King’s AgriSeeds dealer, he chooses hybrids and products tailored to forage production and plants staggered maturities to widen his harvest window. He milks 230 Holstein cows and runs about 240 replacement heifers with his son, Conrad, who has been a full-time partner for about five years. They harvest the farm’s corn acres on their own — all of which becomes silage destined for the dairy herd and stored in upright silos and bags. In the spring, they put up triticale silage and soft-dough barley silage, which are stored in bags. “The greatest challenge is in the spring where we have a shorter harvest window on maturity. We don’t want it to go too long in the field. Rain can delay us enough to lower the quality,” Samuel said. “Last year, we had a drought in the summer. We ended up having to buy a fair amount of feed.” Protecting value Samuel used inoculants to help protect his forage investment for many years. He experimented with applicators, dry inoculants and water-soluble products. He found the best combination for his operation is his current set-up: a dry, granular inoculant combined with a Dohrmann Enterprises applicator, installed on the silo blower and bagger. This pairing allows harvest flexibility and fast application. For the past three haylage crops, Samuel used MAGNIVA Silver forage inoculant to help prevent butyric acid production and made sure the crop was packed well, to remove air pockets that can cause spoilage. “Previously, we used other products with mixed results. With MAGNIVA, we are seeing consistent quality forage coming out of our silos and bags,” he said. “There were times we would have problems staying ahead of the heat that would go through the bag as fast as you could chase it. MAGNIVA Silver gives us more up-front fermentation and a little more protection at the time of feedout when that face the bag or silo is exposed to air.” Managing against loss As previously noted, the Goerings also make sure the crop is well-packed to help eliminate pockets of air. They also use a quality covering film to help prevent oxygen exposure during early fermentation and storage. Oxygen stimulates yeast and mold activities, which can result in spoilage losses, refusals or even production and health problems in the herd. “You don’t want to put moldy feed in front of a cow,” he explained. “We feel like we are feeding a much better product than if we were not using an inoculant. We are feeding some purchased silage right now, and we can’t wait to get back to our own feed.” Starting with good forage is key to achieving Samuel’s goal of feeding quality silage that retains as much value as possible and reduces the need for purchasing feed and supplements, which can lower the farm’s overall profitability. “You want to preserve that forage,” he said. “The inoculant will not make the crop any better than the day it was chopped, but you want to preserve it. You can speed up fermentation, reduce dry matter loss and end up with a better product to feed to the cows. I want to preserve what I’ve got.”