of association directors revealed common reasons for volunteering were: enjoy working with youth and horses and a desire to contribute back to a program, which benefited them. Some of the challenges listed included trying to keep program costs minimal for leaders and youth, personal expense when attending association activities, and improving communication. Overall, directors consider the assoc...

Pasture is the primary feed source for NZ deer production with the greatest proportion grazed in situ. The quantity and quality of the pastures available to grazing deer varies markedly as a result of environmental factors and feed planning decisions by deer farmers. The grazing behaviour of deer responds to changes in pasture height and mass and the effect of pasture variables (height, pre -an...

Dietary forage NDF (fNDF) offers the potential of combining fiber and its particle size influences in a common index. For this reason, it may be more precise than dietary NDF or proportion of concentrate to predict dairy cow responses. To evaluate this hypothesis a database was compiled from 116 published experiments (n = 289 treatments) where dietary NDF or concentrate varied. Forages were lon...

The purpose of the study was to identify plant compositional constituents that influence forage intake. Emphasis was put on the ratio in vitro digestibility of organic matter (IVDOM):NDF because preliminary work with cattle and a limited number of forages showed the ratio to account for more variation in intake than either IVDOM or NDF alone. The compositional constituents were tested in intake...

The potential of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) to provide sufficient N for production has encouraged re-appraisal of cropping systems that deploy legumes. It has been argued that legume-derived N can maintain productivity as an alternative to the application of mineral fertilizer, although few studies have systematically evaluated the effect of optimizing the balance between legumes and no...

Current practices for handling drainage water in the western San Joaquin Valley (WSJV) are not sustainable. The soil quality of 300,000 ha of land in the WSJV is adversely affected by the presence of shallow or perched water (0 to 1.5 m). Without a means of disposing of drainage water, increasing amounts of farmland in the WSJV will become salt impaired, and will be removed from production. Usi...

Reuse of saline drainage waters is a management option that has been suggested for the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California in order to reduce both the area affected by shallow water tables and the volume of drainage effluent requiring disposal. Salt-tolerant forages may play an important role in this strategy, while at the same time producing a food source for sheep and cattle. Crop selectio...

DIMOVA, N., I. IVANOVA, M. MIHAILOVA, N. TODOROV and N. NAYDENOVA, 2009. Wheat distiller’s grains as a source of protein in dairy sheep. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 15: 574-582 The aim of the experiment was to test a simple and cheap system of ewe feeding with forages supplemented with dry distiller’s grain with soluble (DDGS), as a source of protein and whole grains, as the source of energy, compare...

To better understand the interaction and importance of laboratory testing and the pricing and marketing of forages, a survey of professional animal nutritionists was conducted Fall, 2011. The purpose was to develop a better understanding of the sum total ‘demand’ factors which determine how forage quality should be measured and linked to markets. This survey showed that nutritionists generally ...

This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition and nutritive value of sunflower residues silage (SRS) and effects of its substitution with alfalfa hay and corn silage on lactation performance, feed intake, nutrient digestibility and some blood parameters of Mohabadi dairy goats. Four experimental diets were formulated to gradually replace alfalfa hay and corn silage with SRS as ...