Traditionally silage additives have increased silage intake and the performance of beef and dairy cattle through improvements in silage fermentation. In a series of studies undertaken at this Institute with feaef and dairy cattle an inoculant based on a single strain of lactobacillus planterum (Ecosyl) produced leBirable benefits in terms of silage intake and animal performance without any improvement in silage fermentation. Most of these benefits occurred in studies where the untreated silage was well preserved. Uherefore the present studies were designed to evaluate the same inoculant under difficult-to-ensile conditions.