Silostar TMR Protect: TMR Preservative for Forage Freshness.

High-Effectiveness Treatment to Prevent TMR Heating & Silage Reheating.

Silostar TMR Protect is a highly effective total mixed ration (TMR) preservative designed to prevent feed heating and maintain freshness. It has two main on-farm applications for dairy and beef cattle systems.

1. Preventing Feed Heating at the Feeding Barrier

Silostar TMR Protect helps keep total mixed rations fresh at the feeding barrier. TMR can begin heating when silage is exposed to air, with heating potentially accelerating when concentrate feeds are added.

This heating can lead to significant energy losses, potentially reducing the feed's energy value by up to 30% and negatively affecting animal performance. By helping prevent TMR heating and spoilage, Silostar TMR Protect supports feed freshness, nutritional value and more consistent livestock performance.

2. Improving Aerobic Stability in Unstable Silages

Aerobically unstable silages can begin reheating when exposed to air, causing further losses in feed energy and nutritional value. Silostar TMR Protect stops this heating by killing the spoilage organisms responsible for it. Its preservatives act immediately on contact, helping prevent further deterioration and keeping treated silage cooler for considerably longer than untreated forage.

This is particularly valuable when forage quality is variable or silage becomes unstable during feeding out, helping protect the nutritional value of the total mixed ration.

Practical Benefits: Less Labour and More Efficient Feeding

By keeping TMR fresher for longer, Silostar TMR Protect can simplify feeding management and reduce problems associated with unstable forage.

Where sufficient aerobic stability is achieved, a full TMR mixer load may be prepared two or three times per week rather than mixing smaller loads daily. This can significantly reduce labour requirements, particularly at weekends and during holiday periods.

Less frequent mixing can also help reduce machinery wear and tear. Preparing a partial load can take almost as much time as a full load and place similar demands on the mixer and tractor. Reducing the number of mixing operations may therefore lower maintenance costs, machinery usage and associated operating expenses.

Protecting Feed Value When Silage Becomes Unstable

Even with good silage-making practices, forage can occasionally become aerobically unstable. Although Silostar TMR Protect cannot reverse energy already lost during silage storage, it can help prevent further deterioration once the silage is incorporated into a total mixed ration.

The preservatives in Silostar TMR Protect immediately kill the microbes responsible for heating on contact, stopping further damage and helping protect the remaining nutritional value of the feed.

Application and Feeding Instructions

Silostar TMR Protect contains food-grade preservatives and is safe to feed to all farm animals when used as directed.

• Packaging: Supplied in 25 kg bags.
• Shelf life: Two years when stored in a cool, dry place.
• Application: Add directly to the TMR mixer alongside mineral premixes. If no mineral premix is used, add immediately after concentrate feeds and mix thoroughly.

Recommended Dose Rate

Silostar TMR Protect is typically added at a rate of 1–2 kg per tonne of fresh-weight TMR, with a maximum stated application rate of 2 kg/t.

The appropriate inclusion rate depends on the aerobic stability of the forage and how long the prepared ration needs to remain fresh. More unstable feeds or longer feeding intervals may require a higher inclusion rate within the recommended range.

For guidance on selecting the most suitable dose rate for your feeding system, contact the Realistic Agri technical team.