Sweden’s Perstorp will introduce its ProMyr acid-derived silage and crimping additives and ProSid mould inhibitors for grain preservation for the first time at the Grassland UK on May 7.
While the company, which was founded in 1881, remains comparatively unknown in the UK, Perstorp is one of the largest multinational producers of speciality chemicals in the world, and employs about 13,000 people in 22 countries. It has more than 50 years experience of developing and manufacturing additives and preservatives for the agricultural market.
The earliest formic acid-based silage additives were introduced in the 1960s, and these were later blended with propionic acid to enhance performance. More recently, salts of these organic products have been used to act as a buffer, making handling and transport far safer.
By combining these well proven products with modern chemical technology, Perstorp offers a range of highly effective additives, that can be used in a wide range of conditions. Such is their effectiveness, Perstorp additives account for virtually 80 per cent of additives sold in Sweden, where climatic conditions are very similar to the UK and inoculants have struggled to make any noticeable impact.
Perstorp’s message is for producers to get back to basics: “Forget about knowing your Lactococcus from your Lactobacillus,” it says, “forget about worrying if you need a low DM or high DM product a month before you need to use it, make it simple and welcome to the revival of acid-derived products.”
Formic acid is well proven within the UK market and has been used for many years due to its flexibility, effectiveness and excellent preservative properties. Unlike inoculants, acid-derived additives are far more flexible in the way they can be used and aren’t dependent on weather conditions. This means that farmers can confidently forward buy, knowing that they’ll achieve optimum results regardless of harvesting conditions, which is important considering the variable weather conditions experienced in recent years. All farmers need to produce cost effective and energy rich home grown feed.
Perstorp will be launching three propionic-derived products from the ProMyr family in the UK. ProMyr IQ700 is a new-generation salt-derived additive that’s ideal for use with both clamp and wrapped bale silage. Using the latest chemical technology, ProMyr IQ700 is a gas-forming additive of sodium propionate and sodium nitrate salts.
Being gas forming, not only is ProMyr IQ700 highly effective in killing all bacteria and soil microtoxins, the gas will also permeate through the silage, providing thorough protection even where distribution is uneven. This makes ProMyr IQ700 ideally suited for baled silage.
ProMyr NT610, meanwhile, is an acid-derived silage additive that uses a blend of propionic acid and a salt-based formic acid. Formic acid is the best way to decrease pH levels in the silage rapidly. It creates an optimum environment for the creation of consistent, high-quality silage with high sugar content and low ammonia levels. With ProMyr NT610, dry matter loses are minimised, which combined with high-quality silage and increased yield, all add to farm profitability. The inclusion of propionic acid prevents heating once the clamp has been opened and after the silage has been fed out.
Both ProMyr IQ700 and ProMyr NT610 are safe to handle and require no ADR for transport. With application rates as low as just 3.0 lit/t, this ensures maximum productivity and minimal downtime spent having to refill.
The popularity of crimping has grown in the UK as farmers seek ways of reducing bought in feed costs. Perstorp has introduced an acid-derived additive to finally give farmers and contractors a viable alternative to the current market leader. Like silage, moist cereals require a kick start to reduce pH and a preservative to prevent heating once opened and feeding.
As with its range of silage additives, Perstorp has applied the use of new chemical technology to the ProSid mould inhibitor, making it ideal for use with cereals regardless of whether they’re bagged, clamped or stored in a tower.
ProSid is a glycerol-buffered propionic acid-derived product. This makes ProSid highly effective both in avoiding the development of hot-spots that can encourage moulds to develop, but also in controlling bacterial and fungal contamination. This ensures that grain quality and nutritional value is retained, resulting in greater palatability and higher intake, leading to improved live weight gain or milk yield.
A unique feature of ProSid is that it is buffered using a glycerol ester. This not only makes it safe to handle, but it won’t ncorrode machinery. The glycerol ester is energy rich and so also provides an added high-energy value to the crop.
A big advantage to both dealers and farmers alike, is that ProSid MI700 requires no ADR for transport, so farmers can safely and legally collect from it their local retailer using their own vehicles. Another major advantage of ProSid campared to straight propionic and ammonia-buffered inhibitors is that it stays in the grain and protects for longer and evaporates far slower than traditional products. Prosid is also CLP compliant and will remain non-hazardous after June 1, 2015.
Perstorp’s ProMyr and ProSid range will be available from major merchants throughout the UK.
For more information visit: www.perstorp.com/uk-forage.
