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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #295513
Title: Feeding incremental levels of ground flaxseed linearly reduced milk yield and enteric methane emission in organic Jersey cows

Author
item RESENDE, T - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais
item BRITO, ANDRE - University Of New Hampshire
item Soder, Kathy
item WOITSCHACH, D - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais
item PEREIRA, A.B. - University Of New Hampshire
item REIS, R - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais

Submitted to: Joint Abstracts of the American Dairy Science and Society of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/2/2013
Publication Date: 7/20/2013
Citation: Resende, T.L., Brito, A., Soder, K.J., Woitschach, D.H., Pereira, A.D., Reis, R.B. 2013. Feeding incremental levels of ground flaxseed linearly reduced milk yield and enteric methane emission in organic Jersey cows. Joint Abstracts of the American Dairy Science and Society of Animal Science. 96 (E-Suppl. 1):523.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Twenty (8 primiparous and 12 multiparous) organic Jersey cows averaging 425 kg BW (SD ± 37) and 111 DIM (SD ± 62) in the beginning of the study were blocked by milk yield and parity and randomly assigned to treatments in 5 replicated 4 × 4 Latin squares to investigate the effects of incremental dietary levels of ground flaxseed (0, 5, 10, or 15% diet DM) on intake and yields of milk and milk components. Sixteen cows (4 squares) were used to measure enteric methane emissions using the SF6 tracer technique; 12 cows (3 squares) were used to collect ruminal samples using an oral lavage tube. All cows were fed TMR containing (% diet DM): 55% alfalfa/grass baleage, 8% grass hay, and 37% concentrate; soybean meal (from 6 to 2% diet DM) and cornmeal (from 27 to 16% diet DM) were replaced with flaxseed (from 0 to 15% diet DM) to keep diets isonitrogenous while roasted soybean (2% diet DM) was maintained constant across treatments. Yields of milk and milk components were reduced linearly when cows were fed incremental levels of flaxseed. The linear reduction in DMI with increasing flaxseed explains the observed decreases in the yields of milk and milk components. Methane emissions expressed in g/d was reduced linearly with increasing flaxseed possibly as a result of decreased DMI and enhanced molar proportion of ruminal propionate. However, no significant differences were found when expressing enteric methane emissions on an efficiency basis, averaging 15.8 g/kg DMI and 10.6 g/kg ECM across treatments. Increasing flaxseed reduced milk yield but appears to be effective at mitigating methane emission.