Effects of increasing amounts of supplemental soybean meal on intake and digestibility of tallgrass-prairie hay (1998)

Abstract

Twenty ruminally fistulated beef steers with concentration of DIP, on prairie hay intake and free-choice access to prairie hay were used to digestion. evaluate the effect of increasing level of soybean meal (SBM) on forage intake and digestion. Forage intake, total organic matter intake, and organic matter digestion were enhanced with Twenty ruminally fistulated beef steers increasing level of SBM supplementation, al(average body weight, 813 lb) were blocked by though forage intake and digestion appeared to weight and assigned to one of five treatments to plateau at higher levels. The concomitant rises in evaluate the effect of increasing level of highintake and digestion as supplemental SBM protein SBM on forage intake and digestion. increased resulted in an increase in total digestEach steer was offered prairie hay at 130% of ible organic matter intake, with the largest average voluntary intake for the preceding 5-day response to the initial increment of supplement. period. The forage contained 69.4% NDF, and