Two neighbouring plots with eight years of the same management and one laboratory for both samples: the hay treated with native microbiology and organomineral minerals gave 55.1% TDN against 49.3% for the control, with less fibre and more non-fibre carbohydrates. One composite sample per treatment: we say so before the number.
The challenge: hay quality in a semi-arid climate
Paraguay's Central Chaco is a subtropical semi-arid region. Beef cattle farming depends on tropical pastures such as Gatton Panic (Panicum maximum), grazed directly and as reserve hay for the months when forage is scarcer. In those months the quality of the hay, above all its energy and its digestibility, conditions how the cattle perform, and all the more so where supplementation is limited.
Our working hypothesis is the same as in crops: greater biological activity in the soil improves the plant's mineral nutrition and its tolerance of heat and drought stress, and therefore improves forage quality. This trial set out to measure that in the hay, which is where the cattle farmer gets paid for it.
How the trial was run
Two neighbouring plots of Gatton Panic intended for hay, in the Central Chaco, with the same history: eight consecutive years of intensive harvesting, on average two cuts a year, with no fertilisation and no animal grazing. One was kept as an absolute control, under conventional management and with no additional input. The other received the programme of native regenerative microbiology and organomineral minerals.
Mowing took place in early July 2026, one day apart between the plots, and the bales were made with the same machine. Sampling was fully random: four different bales per treatment, mixed into one composite sample per treatment, and the same analytical laboratory of a Central Chaco cooperative for both samples. Dry matter, crude protein, fibres (ADF and NDF), ether extract, ash, non-fibre carbohydrates, TDN, metabolisable energy, net energies and a mycotoxin panel were determined. The laboratory issued its report on 28 August 2026; the certificate is available on request.
What was applied and when
Three foliar applications by drone, at a high rate, with FILABIOSA, VitaTricol and VitaN2 (native microbiology) plus Pirocal, an organomineral mineral chelated with an organic substance: the first in October 2025, together with the mapping of the plot; the second at the end of December; the third at the end of April 2026. In May an application of FILABIOSA over the whole plot was added, linked to baling, to inoculate the bales.
Results: energy, fibre and sugars
All values on a dry-matter basis, in the conditions of this trial.
| Indicator | Treated | Control | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total digestible nutrients (TDN) | 55.1% | 49.3% | +5.8 points (+11.8%) |
| Metabolisable energy | 2.0 Mcal/kg | 1.8 Mcal/kg | +0.2 (+11.1%) |
| Acid detergent fibre (ADF) | 35.9% | 40.9% | −5.0 points (−12.2%) |
| Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) | 70.8% | 73.6% | −2.8 points (−3.8%) |
| Non-fibre carbohydrates (NFC) | 11.1% | 7.0% | +4.1 points (+58.6%) |
| Crude protein | 5.8% | 6.0% | no relevant difference |
| Ether extract | 0.9% | 1.5% | the treated hay has 40% less |
| Ash | 11.5% | 11.9% | similar |
| Dry matter | 91.0% | 91.5% | similar |
The net energies for lactation, maintenance and weight gain were also higher in the treated hay (1.2 against 1.1; 1.3 against 1.1; 0.6 against 0.4 Mcal/kg), but they are rounded to one decimal place and we do not use them as a headline: the strong indicators are TDN, ADF, metabolisable energy and non-fibre carbohydrates.
Mycotoxins: total aflatoxins, DON and zearalenone not detected in either sample, that is, within safe parameters for animal consumption.
What it means for beef cattle
- More energy. TDN measures how much usable energy the forage contains. Almost six more points of TDN mean more energy per kilo of hay eaten, which is what counts most in rearing and finishing.
- More digestible fibre. Less ADF and less NDF suggest greater digestibility and a potentially higher voluntary intake: with less fibre, the rumen fills up less quickly.
- More rapidly available sugars and starches. Non-fibre carbohydrates were 58.6% higher in the treated hay.
- The same protein, and low in both. Below the 7% usually taken as the threshold for optimal rumen fermentation. It applies to both hays alike and calls for protein supplementation in either case. We say so because the uncomfortable figure is also part of the result.
A finding to watch closely: plant stress
The control showed more ether extract (1.5% against 0.9%) and fewer non-fibre carbohydrates. In the literature, higher ether extract in tropical grasses is associated with greater investment by the plant in protective waxes and lipids against drought and heat stress, and a more active rhizosphere is associated with greater stress tolerance. A better-nourished plant with a biologically more active soil might need to invest fewer resources in defence and more in reserves and growth; it is a hypothesis we will keep evaluating. Ether extract is a crude measure that can also vary with the phenological stage or the leaf-to-stem ratio at cutting.
Transparency: scope and next steps
A single composite sample per treatment and a single laboratory determination per treatment: there are no replicates and no statistical analysis. Two neighbouring plots with the same history, but not randomised. The phenological stage and the leaf-to-stem ratio at cutting were not controlled independently, and the previous fertility history of each plot is missing. That is why we present the result as a solid and encouraging precedent, not as a conclusion, and we are going to replicate it in coming cuts and in replicated plots.
What we learned for management: supplement protein for both the treated and the conventional hay; give priority to the treated hay for the categories with the highest energy demand, rearing and light finishing, and use the conventional hay for maintenance or dry cows; record the management history of each plot, and add plant-stress indicators to the next samplings.
Frequently asked questions
How much more energy did the treated hay have? 55.1% TDN against 49.3% for the control: 5.8 points, 11.8% more, and 2.0 against 1.8 Mcal/kg of metabolisable energy, in the conditions of this trial.
Does the treated hay have more protein? No. Crude protein was the same and low in both hays (5.8% and 6.0%), so both need protein supplementation.
What was applied? FILABIOSA, VitaTricol and VitaN2 plus Pirocal, in three foliar applications by drone at a high rate during the season, and an additional application of FILABIOSA linked to baling.
Is it a proven result? It is a result measured by an independent laboratory on one composite sample per treatment, with no replicates. A solid precedent that we are going to replicate before giving it any other weight.
How to bring this programme to your pasture
Would you like to evaluate this programme on your pasture? Our technical team designs a trial with a control for your farm: talk to a technician or write to ventas@bloom.com.py.
Technical report prepared by Microvita SA, August 2026, with independent laboratory analysis.