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Operating since 1990, principally providing silage management services to the feedlot sector, as a feed and food industry pioneer, national technical services manager Trevor Schoorl said Lallemand offered a range of natural products that improve animal performance and health.

"A benefit of making silage is drought/flood proofing your forage source," Mr Schoorl said.

"Silage can provide a long-term forage reserve for drought, bushfires or floods and targeting high quality forage for drought feeding actually reduces feeding costs.

"The potential to salvage high quality forage from drought or frost affected crops such as canola and winter cereals is also a notable advantage.

"Silage can be a cost competitive feed ingredient."

Mr Schoorl said advanced techniques for making silage meant a high quality output can be generated without incurring high labour or consumable costs.

"A number of Australian feedlots using the Silostop system can attest that the systems have almost paid for themselves in labour savings alone," he said.

"It can also be a high quality supplement for out of season production."

Silage crops provide a healthy crop rotation and contribute to the nutrient recycling program and the application of manure is an economically and environmentally sound management practice that has been shown to improve soil tilth, increase water holding capacity, reduce wind and water erosion and improve soil aeration.

"The valuable role silage plays as a pasture management tool allows for better pasture utilisation and increased productivity per hectare," Mr Schoorl said.

"The advantage of silage programs is the degree of management and therefore control you are afforded.

"Nutrition plays a vital role in animal product quality and market compliance."

He said having high quality forage available, even in times of climatic uncertainty meant farmers had the ability to maintain stock stability.

"Nutrition is the management tool that can have the greatest impact on your herd," he said.

"Nutritional stress in replacement heifers can delay puberty in the animal and decrease the breeding performance."

Supplementing replacement heifers to set them up for their first calf will have an impact on profitability for 10 years or more.

Silage feeding is also valuable during weaning, by helping cows to cycle quicker, Mr Schoorl said.

"With the guarantee of continued supply quality, weaning time can be managed effectively to assist the breeding females in regaining body condition to get back in calf, even when pasture quantity and quality is poor or non-existent," Mr Schoorl said.

"Silage is a high quality, consistent, pre-chopped and therefore easy-to-mix, safe ration ingredient that can be used in all your rations."

Contact Lallemand Animal Nutrition on 1300 247 448 or visit www.lallemand.com.au