Microbial diversity of preserved forage types at farm-scale facilities

The microbiota of silage is a key determinant of its quality. Although commercial inoculants are often used to improve silage quality, studies to analyze their impact on the microbiota of preserved forage at farm-scale facilities are scarce. We assessed the diversity of viable bacterial communities of hay (unfermented dry forage) and grass or legume (GL) and corn (C) silage to deepen our knowledge of how inoculant addition drive microbial occurrence patterns on dairy farms. Our study may help evaluate the effectiveness of forage management practices implemented on dairy farms and therefore, is useful for fine-tuning the search for new additives. Such study can be useful to forage makers in adjusting processing routines to improve the hygienic quality, nutritional potential, and aerobic stability of preserved forage.