In an Alpine environment, diets based on local forage resources are needed to maintain the link with the territory and confer special characteristics to typical cheeses. Harvesting at a late stage of maturity, high mechanical losses, and frequent rainfall often make the hay that is harvested of a poor quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of 2 different conservation methods...

Hay and pasture crops are critical to Kentucky Agriculture and to that of the entire temperate region of the US. The sale of cattle, calves and dairy products provide 29% of Kentucky's farm income compared with 23% for tobacco. Beef cowcalf enterprises comprise the majority of cattle numbers in the state, however, dairy production is also significant. A substantial horse industry also exists in...

To determine the effect of increasing supplementation of corn dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) on growth performance and feeding behavior, 70 steer calves (287 ± 10 kg of BW) were blocked by BW to 3 pens equipped with Insentec feeders. For 84 d, calves were fed medium-quality grass/legume hay offered for ad libitum intake and provided 1 of 3 dietary supplemental treatments (n = 7 or...

Hay and silage crops are integral parts of beef production in the Great Plains. In the southern Great Plains, a growing dairy industry is adding demand for silage and hay. Corn silage has long served the region well, producing consistent high quality silage. However, many areas of the southern Great Plains no longer have the irrigation capacity to successfully produce corn silage. Forage sorghu...

Forage quality testing defines the language of value between the dairy and forage sector. From a nutritionist’s viewpoint, forage quality consists of many analyses that, together, provide a prediction of performance in a balanced ration for the dairy cow. Marketing systems, on the other hand, require a few simple criteria that can be related to value and price discovery. Currently, most trading...

A study was conducted to determine the interaction of roughage quality and ureaammonization on the luminal degradation properties of low quality roughage diets. Four rumen fistulae Jersey cows were fed on a basal diet of either urea-treated or untreated Eragrostis uvula hay. These basal diets were supplemented with concentrate composed of maize meal (78%) and cotton seed cake (22%). The concent...

A major challenge faced by alfalfa growers during the past 30 years has been the increased emphasis on forage quality. The need to produce high-quality hay affects marketing and price, as well as yield and stand life. Demands for high-quality alfalfa by the marketplace have been relentless. Although crop yield is still the primary economic factor determining forage crop value per unit of land a...

Ruminants prefer hay cut in the afternoon to hay cut in themorning, presumably because hay cut in the afternoon contains higher concentrations of non-structural carbohydrates than hay cut in the morning. We determined if adding sugars (glucose and sucrose) to ground hay would account for differences in preference and affect intake of hay. Alfalfa hay cut either in the afternoon (PM) or the foll...