Effects of corn silage crop processing and chop length on intake, digestion, and milk production were evaluated. Corn silage treatments were harvested at one-half milkline stage of maturity (65% whole-plant moisture content) and at 0.95-cm theoretical length of cut without processing (control) or 0.95-, 1.45-, or 1.90-cm theoretical length of cut with processing at a 1-mm roll clearance. Twenty...

This study was carried out to compare in situ and in vitro enzyme techniques for determining estimates of forage escape proteins. Eight forages (vetch hay, wheat silage, corn silage, wheat hay, grass hay, lentil straw, triticale hay and alfalfa hay) were used as feed materials. During 70 h, incubation with enzyme method had similar escape protein values for vetch hay, wheat hay, grass hay, trit...

This trial tested whether rumen-protected Lys (RPL) supplementation would improve the nutritive value of rumen-undegradable protein (RUP) from corn protein. Thirty-two lactating Holstein cows were blocked by days in milk and parity into 8 squares 4 each replicated × Latin squares. Treatments provided all supplemental crude from: (1) soy (67% expeller soybean meal plus 33% solvent meal); (2) a b...

We used four ruminally fistulated, multiparous, pregnant Holstein cows to delineate microbial adaptations in dairy cows as they experienced the transition from one lactation to the next. Diets consisted of typical far-off and close-up diets, a late lactation diet containing wet corn gluten feed (20% DM) and an alfalfa hay-corn silage based early lactation diet. Calculated NEL (Mcal/lb), measure...

Silage accounts for 30 to 40% of the diet of dairy cattle in over 90% of the dairies in the Southeast. Corn silage is the main silage fed to dairy cattle in Florida and it plays a vital role in supplying digestible fiber and energy to dairy cows. The fiber supply from corn silage is also necessary for stimulating salivation and buffering microbial acid production in the rumen, thereby minimizin...

Corn silage is a palatable high energy, low protein forage that is used in most dairy rations across the US. The usage of corn silage has grown over the last decade. Seed companies have focused breeding activities on corn silage hybrids resulting in corn silage hybrid differences that rival other species in nutritional differences. When making decisions about the quality of corn silage, dairy p...

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of monensin and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) on ruminal metabolism in 8 fistulated steers. In Exp. 1, treatments were (DM basis): 1) 0 mg monensin/kg diet DM, 2) 22 mg monensin/kg diet DM, 3) 33 mg monensin/kg diet DM, and 4) 44 mg monensin/kg diet DM. The remainder of the diet was 10% corn silage, 60% DDGS, 10% corn, and 20...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fat supplementation for enhancing milk conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in early lactation without affecting ruminal fermentation. 24 Holstein dairy cows were assigned to a completely randomized design employing a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement. Factors were particle size (15 and 25 mm) and two different sources of alfalfa supplemented with and wit...

This study was conducted to investigate the nutrient digestibility and lactation performance when alfalfa was replaced with rice straw or corn stover in the diet of lactating cows. Forty-five multiparous Holstein dairy cows were blocked based on days in milk (164 ± 24.8 d; mean ± standard deviation) and milk yield (29.7 ± 4.7 kg; mean ± standard deviation) and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 t...

Sixteen Holstein cows in midlactation were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to determine the effect of replacing alfalfa neutral detergent fiber (NDF), with NDF from a combination of whole linted cottonseed, dried distillers grains, and wheat middlings. The four diets were a basal control diet that was low in forage and fiber [(5.9 g of corn silage NDF and 6.1 g of alfalfa NDF/100 g of dry m...