This item has been supplied by a forage marketer and has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hay & Forage Grower.Agnition, a brand of Ralco, announced today that it has launched Anchor™ for Hay, a dry granular product that preserves higher moisture hay and maintains hay quality over time while reducing the risk of heating and spoilage. Anchor™ for Hay, provides producers with greater flexibility of baling earlier in the day, later at night and in more humid conditions while helping to lock in nutrients for more palatable bales.

Anchor™ for Hay is powered by Microbial Catalyst® technology that stimulates an inoculant blend and increases microbial activity of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria in hay. The versatile product is also made up of organic acid which will not rust balers because it is in a dry form. Agnition Product Manager Mike Holmberg said the dual action of increased microbial activity and acid makes Anchor™ for Hay a product unlike any other.

“The organic acid in Anchor™ for Hay works hard to rapidly reduce pH levels and prevent spoilage while our Microbial Catalyst® and inoculant target higher moisture areas deep inside the bale. The technologies work together to lock-in nutrients, reduce heating, save more leaves and inhibit mold and yeast growth. Producers will see the difference when bales treated with Anchor™ for Hay maintain their color and don’t sag like untreated bales,” Holmberg said.

Research demonstrates that bales treated with Anchor™ for Hay remain cooler resulting in less heat damaged protein. Cooler bales result in improved preservation of nutrients and help maintain relative feed value (RFV). In a controlled study hay treated with Anchor™ maintained a RFV 30 points greater than the control. Producers also notice that treated bales grind easier.

“Alfalfa bales treated with Anchor™ for Hay ground so much easier and were a lot greener. It’s hard to keep the grinder full when grinding treated bales. I was having to wait for the untreated bales to grind. I save a lot of time and fuel when grinding the treated bales,” said rancher Larry Goebel from Lebanon, SD.

Anchor™ for Hay is available in a 50 lb. bag and is applied to hay with a Valmar 455 applicator.

Agnition is a brand of Ralco, a third-generation, family-owned multinational company with distribution in more than 20 countries. Ralco is a leading global supplier of livestock nutrition, animal health products and crop enhancement technologies that support large segments of the livestock, poultry, aquaculture and crop production industries.