A new forage preservative has been launched for this haymaking season which will maintain the nutritional and hygienic quality of baled haylage and high moisture hay.

Called BaleSafe, and designed to improve forage quality in any conditions, it particularly comes into its own in a catchy weather season.

Capable of preserving the quality of hay at up to 25 per cent moisture, BaleSafe will also preserve wrapped haylage at 50 - 75 per cent dry matter.

Its unique blend of non-corrosive ingredients include propionic and benzoic acids together with human food-grade preservatives which have been independently proven to stop the development of yeasts and moulds in their tracks.

Michael Carpenter, from feed and forage preservation specialists Kelvin Cave, said: "No one likes to open mouldy bales and this product will ensure the waste associated with moulds and yeasts becomes a thing of the past

“BaleSafe also has a role as a management tool as it may be more cost-effective to bale at a higher moisture than to incur leaf shatter and costs for extra turning.

“This also has the bonus of dramatically reducing dust which is a bugbear for many workers who handle traditional hay bales.

"Any hay that’s drier than 15 per cent moisture is likely to be stable and cool and should not need any preservative to keep it that way."

Also suitable for opportunistic use in the face of incoming rain, BaleSafe will avoid the costly quality losses which are inevitable if hay gets a soaking.

BaleSafe completes the range of forage preservatives available through Kelvin Cave Ltd, which is designed to cater for every level of dry matter from wet, 15 per cent DM silages up to dry, 15 per cent moisture hay.

BaleSafe is easy to apply through an applicator on the baler, also available from Kelvin Cave Ltd, and is supplied in 200 litre barrels or 1,000 litre IBCs.

Its application rate is 2-4 litres/tonne, depending on forage dry matter.

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For more information please visit balesafe.co.uk.