Thousands of hectares of timothy (Phleum pretense L.) grown in the Mid-Atlantic region are infected by cereal rust mite (Abacarus hysterix) that causes discoloration and curling of leaves, decreased nutritional quality, and substantial decreases in yield. A decline in production of timothy hay can lower income for hay producers and cause horse owners to search for alternative hays. Low alkaloid...

Four insects species have emerged as important pests of alfalfa in the Western United States during the past decade. Cowpea aphid has long been a resident insect of the Western United States, but became a significant alfalfa pest during the past two years. The silverleaf whitefly has been a serious pest of alfalfa since 1991. Silverleaf whitefly reduces hay yield and contaminates alfalfa hay wi...

Prairie hay meadows are important reservoirs of grassland biodiversity in the tallgrass prairie regions of the central United States and are the object of increasing attention for conservation and restoration. In addition, there is growing interest in the potential use of such low-input, high-diversity (LIHD) native grasslands for biofuel production. The uplands of eastern Kansas, USA, which pr...

This study investigated the effect of Rumex Sc (commercial product which includes of Saccharomyces cervisiae, saponin and essential oils) on rumen fermentation, blood glucose, urea, milk yield and milk composition. Animals were offered a basal diet containing alfalfa hay (15.5%), corn silage (24%), beet pulp (7%) and concentrate (53.5%). Additionally, Rumex Sc was included in the experimental d...

Cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz), an annual tropical tuber crop, was nutritionally evaluated as a foliage for ruminants, especially dairy cattle. Cultivation of cassava biomass to produce hay is based on a first harvest of the foliage at three months after planting, followed every two months thereafter until one year. Inter-cropping of leguminous fodder as food-feed between rows of cassava, ...

Alfalfa hay was steam heated for an average of 47 min at 100 to 110°C; net ruminal protein escape (total escape minus ADIN x 6.25), estimated in vitro, was 50% versus 29% for control hay. Heating increased ADIN content from 4.6 to 15.3% of total N and increased NDF from 43 to 53% of DM. In trial 1, 14 cows averaging 81 DIM and 30 kg/d of milk were fed, in a switchback design, diets containing 1...

Land area devoted to organic agriculture has increased steadily over the last 20 years in the United States, and elsewhere around the world. A primary criticism of organic agriculture is lower yield compared to non-organic systems. Previous analyses documenting the yield deficiency in organic production have relied mostly on data generated under experimental conditions, but these studies do not...

Alfalfa was harvested as silage or hay and fed in two 12-wk trials with a 4 x 4 Latin square design that used 12 (trial 1) or 24 (trial 2) multiparous lactating cows (4 ruminally cannulated cows per trial). Diets contained (dry matter basis) 75 or 50% alfalfa plus 24 of 40% high moisture corn (trial 1) or 50% alfalfa, 44 or 41% high moisture corn, with (3%) or without fish meal (trial 2). Exper...

I N much of the Northern Great Plains area native grasses are of paramount importance to livestock production and hays from these grasses constitute the chief roughage harvested to maintain livestock when grazing will not support them. Tonnage of prairie hay harvested in South Dakota in 1948 and 1949, a total of 4,492,000 tons, was twice as great as the harvested tonnage of all tame hays combin...

Two hundred ninety-nine crossbred yearling steers (363 +/- 15 kg initial BW) were fed for an average of 114 d in a finishing study comparing 7 diets in which steam-flaked corn was used as the principal energy source. Forty-nine pens were used in this study with 7 BW blocks, 7 pens per treatment, and 5 to 7 steers per pen. A control diet with no distillers grains with solubles (DGS) was compared...