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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #401316
Research Project: Improving Sustainability of Dairy and Forage Production Systems for the Upper Midwest

Location: Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research

Title: Cocktail forage mixes – What do dairy cows think?

Author
item Akins, Matthew
item GUMUS, HIDIR - University Of Wisconsin

Submitted to: Hay and Forage Grower
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/14/2023
Publication Date: 3/31/2023
Citation: Akins, M.S., Gumus, H. 2023. Cocktail forage mixes – What do dairy cows think?. Hay and Forage Grower. March 2023.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The use of cocktail forage mixes is becoming more popular in dairy forage systems, however limited information is available regarding animal productivity when fed these forages. The research described in the article evaluated feeding lactating dairy cows a diet that included either a cocktail forage mix silage or an alfalfa/grass silage. The cocktail mix diet had a higher fiber level but better fiber digestibility, which should reduce negative effects that a higher fiber diet may have on feed intake and milk production. An important result of the study was cows fed the diet with cocktail forage mix produced similar amounts of milk fat and protein compared to cows fed the control diet with alfalfa/grass silage. This result shows that it is possible to substitute new forage types (especially those with higher fiber digestibility) and maintain production of milk components.