Archived
This content is available here strictly for research, reference, and/or recordkeeping and as such it may not be fully accessible. If you work or study at University of Kentucky and would like to request an accessible version, please use the SensusAccess Document Converter.
Start Date
3-2-2021 6:10 PM
Description
Forage quality is often described with terms like crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, in vitro dry matter digestibility, neutral detergent fiber digestibility, and the list goes on! Perhaps the best definition of forage quality is the ability of a forage to produce a desired animal response. This concept is quite simple, but the process of getting from forage to actual animal performance is quite complex (Figure 1). It is important to realize that there is no perfect measure of forage quality. However, measures that are based on fiber digestibly provide better estimates of energy and dry matter intake.
Included in
Measuring Forage Quality: Sampling and Interpretation
Forage quality is often described with terms like crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, in vitro dry matter digestibility, neutral detergent fiber digestibility, and the list goes on! Perhaps the best definition of forage quality is the ability of a forage to produce a desired animal response. This concept is quite simple, but the process of getting from forage to actual animal performance is quite complex (Figure 1). It is important to realize that there is no perfect measure of forage quality. However, measures that are based on fiber digestibly provide better estimates of energy and dry matter intake.