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Publication Date
1981
Description
The most common forage conservation methods (direct-cut and low-moisture silage, barn,dried hay, and dehydration) have been compared under practical, but strictly controlled, conditions to determine their relative value for meeting the increasing demands of high-yielding ruminants. A grass mixture was used as forage, at different stages of maturity in different experiments. Parameters determined were changes of nutrient content; losses of DM and net energy; and, in three experiments, forage intake by dairy cows. From the results of the experiments, the following conclusions could be drawn: (1) roughage quality is influenced more by cuttng time than by preservation methods; (2) low-moisture silage and barn-drying of hay provide a forage equal in quality to dehydrated grass, and at equal losses; and (3) weather risk during prewilting should be reduced by new efforts to speed up this process.
Citation
Honig, H; Rohr, K; and Zimmer, E, "Comparison of Conservation Methods Under Controlled Practical Conditions" (1981). IGC Proceedings (1977-2023). 14.
(URL: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1981/section10/14)
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Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Comparison of Conservation Methods Under Controlled Practical Conditions
The most common forage conservation methods (direct-cut and low-moisture silage, barn,dried hay, and dehydration) have been compared under practical, but strictly controlled, conditions to determine their relative value for meeting the increasing demands of high-yielding ruminants. A grass mixture was used as forage, at different stages of maturity in different experiments. Parameters determined were changes of nutrient content; losses of DM and net energy; and, in three experiments, forage intake by dairy cows. From the results of the experiments, the following conclusions could be drawn: (1) roughage quality is influenced more by cuttng time than by preservation methods; (2) low-moisture silage and barn-drying of hay provide a forage equal in quality to dehydrated grass, and at equal losses; and (3) weather risk during prewilting should be reduced by new efforts to speed up this process.
