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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #149188

Title: HOW A GREAT FORAGE COULD BE BETTER

Author
item Jung, Hans Joachim
item Lamb, Joann

Submitted to: Hoard's Dairyman
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2003
Publication Date: 7/1/2003
Citation: Jung, H.G., Lamb, J.F. 2003. How a great forage could be better. Hoard's Dairyman. 148:451.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Dairy producers are well aware of the importance of having adequate amounts of forage fiber in the diet of lactating cows. Fiber stimulates rumination and saliva flow to maintain a healthy rumen. However, it is also well known that fiber is less digestible than starch. As a result, diet formulation is often a balancing act to maximize grain feeding for milk production while providing enough forage to keep cows healthy. Early and frequent harvesting of forages is recommended to avoid the increases in fiber concentration and reductions in fiber digestibility associated with more mature forage crops. But alfalfa is at risk for stand loss due to stress from such frequent harvesting. A better alternative would be to create alfalfa varieties with more digestible fiber at later stages of maturity. More digestible fiber would eliminate some of the milk production disadvantage associated with replacing grain in the diet with forage. Being able to harvest alfalfa when it is more mature would preserve stand life. The USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit is conducting a breeding program to increase fiber digestibility of alfalfa stem material. Stems have been targeted for improvement because they represent 75% of the fiber in alfalfa hay and haylage, and fiber concentration increases dramatically as alfalfa plants mature. The amount of genetic variation found in alfalfa for stem fiber digestibility is large enough to dramatically increase potential milk production and reduce manure output by dairy cows.