Inter-sexual segregation between habitats or between sites within a habitat is very widespread in sexually dimorphic ungulates. As an explanation, it has been suggested that males, because of their larger forage requirements, are driven from preferred, high quality forage habitats into marginal habitats of lower forage quality but higher forage biomass by female competition (`indirect competiti...

The aim of this thesis was to increase our understanding about chicory (forage and root) as fibre source for pigs, by studying the effects of diets with inclusion of chicory on digestibility, digestion site, performance, gut microbiota and environment. In total 62 pigs were used, including newly weaned and growing intact pigs and growing post valve t-caecum (PVTC)-cannulated pigs. The weaned pi...

The objective of the current study was to examine whether step-down (STP) milk feeding method together with forage provision would improve performance, rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility, blood metabolites, and structural growth of calves. Holstein bull calves ( = 40) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments in a completely randomized design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Treatm...

The objectives of this study were to examine long-term effects of feeding forage rape (Brassica napus L.) on methane yields (g methane per kg of feed dry matter intake), and to propose mechanisms that may be responsible for lower emissions from lambs fed forage rape compared to perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). The lambs were fed fresh winter forage rape or ryegrass as their sole diet for...

Pastures, forages, and grasslands dominate the landscape across the United States and support a large ruminant population that supplies the nation with value-added animal products. A historical perspective is presented of the innovations as they occurred in the Journal of Animal Science over the past 100 yr in pasture and forage research. Consideration was given to both animal and pasture persp...

Twenty multiparous Holstein cows in midlactation grazed pastures of 4 forage mixtures in a 12-wk study repeated during 2 grazing seasons to determine if forage mixture complexity affected intake and productivity of lactating dairy cows. The forage mixtures were 1) orchardgrass plus white clover [2 species (SP)]; 2) orchardgrass, white clover, and chicory (3SP); 3) orchardgrass, tall fescue, per...

This research addressed the hypothesis that spring precipitation data can be used to detect agricultural drought early in the growing season. The Rangetek range model was used to simulate yearly forage data based on historical precipitation and temperature records from the USDA-ARS Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory (Miles City, MT) and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Manyb...

Brangus cows (n = 29) were used in three experiments to evaluate the effects of parity (multiparous vs. primiparous) and potential genetic merit for milk production (high vs. low) on forage intake during late gestation, early lactation, and late lactation. Cows were selected for milk production based on their sire's EPD for milk production (MEPD). Cows had ad libitum access to (130% of previous...

Performance and production of growing cattle (Bos taurus) on Coastal Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] pasture are affected by forage allowance, but possible interactions with fertilizer nutrient source (i.e., inorganic vs. organic) and time have not been well described. We evaluated the effects of 3 nutrient sources with equivalent N rates: 1) inorganic, 2) crimson clover (Trifolium i...