Satellite Symposium 2: Silage
Description
Grass is the predominant forage ensiled in Ireland. However, the relatively modest yields achieved in a single harvest allied to variability in digestibility and ensilability (and thus in intake and animal performance response) and the likelihood of effluent production create disadvantages for grass silage compared to the potential of some alternative forage crops. Thus, alternative forages are worthy of consideration on many farms. The objectives of this study were to quantify the relative intake, digestibility and performance of beef cattle offered grass silage, forage maize silage and whole-crop wheat (fermented or urea-treated), rank these relative to cattle offered an ad libitum concentrate-based diet and compare the “alkalage” system of urea-treated processed whole-crop wheat with whole-crop wheat silage.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
The Feeding Value of Conserved Whole-Crop Wheat and Forage Maize Relative to Grass Silage and Ad-Libitum Concentrates for Beef Cattle
Grass is the predominant forage ensiled in Ireland. However, the relatively modest yields achieved in a single harvest allied to variability in digestibility and ensilability (and thus in intake and animal performance response) and the likelihood of effluent production create disadvantages for grass silage compared to the potential of some alternative forage crops. Thus, alternative forages are worthy of consideration on many farms. The objectives of this study were to quantify the relative intake, digestibility and performance of beef cattle offered grass silage, forage maize silage and whole-crop wheat (fermented or urea-treated), rank these relative to cattle offered an ad libitum concentrate-based diet and compare the “alkalage” system of urea-treated processed whole-crop wheat with whole-crop wheat silage.
