Dairy Cattle Feed Research Articles

Vitamin E in dairy cattle feeding (review)

Vitamin E in dairy cattle feeding (review)

Apple pomace in feeding of dairy cattle as an element of sustainable agriculture strategy - a review

Abstract This work provides an overview of the knowledge about using apple pomace as milk cattle feed. Utilization of apple pomace as livestock feed is one of the possible alternatives to reduce environmental pollution and overcome the feed deficit. Apple pomace, rich in e.g. polyphenolic compounds, holds potential to be a valuable feed additive for enhancing the antioxidative capacity and overall quality of milk. The research on apple pomace as feed additive for livestock are important due to abundance of apples in Poland, the world’s second-largest apple producer. To promote sustainability in animal feed production the use of agro-food-by products as apple pomace as animal feed component should be considered.

Biofermentation of aquatic plants: Potential novel feed ingredients for dairy cattle production

The study assessed the impacts of aquatic plant silages on feeding efficiency and dairy cattle health as an alternative to conventional corn silage under high altitude conditions. Mid-lactation Holstein cows were assigned to treatment groups according to a randomized complete block design of parity, previous 105-d milk yield, and body weight. Cows (n = 8 per group) were fed with aquatic plant silage inoculated with Bacillus subtilis (BS), Yeast (YS), or conventional corn silage without inoculants (control) in addition to [standard grain feed] for 75 consecutive days. BS and YS had higher protein contents than control silage (111.20 ± 7.68, 112.10 ± 6.83 vs 76.94 ± 3.48 g/kg DM), while feeding efficiency was comparable between treatments (1.07, 0.99, and 0.90, respectively). In addition, the addition of aquatic plant silage in ruminant diets enhanced immunity and antioxidant capacity when compared with control group. Metagenomic analysis showed similar composition in rumen microbiota between YS and control groups, with higher enrichment for energy and nitrogen utilization pathways in YS-treated cows. This study highlights the use of aquatic plant silage as an alternative feed for dairy cattle with higher protein than corn silage. Our results suggest YS or BS could potentially boost immune and antioxidant functions, improving adaptation to high-altitudes and reducing demand for high input corn production on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Sustainability of Lolium multiflorum L. ‘Cajamarquino Ecotype’, Associated with Trifolium repens L., at Three Cutting Frequencies in the Northern Highlands of Peru

Livestock farming feed in the northern highlands of Peru is based on the association of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) ecotype cajamarquino–white clover (Trifolium repens L.) Ladino variety, which constantly varies in its agronomic characteristics and nutritional value due to management considerations and its association with the soil and the animal. The objective of this study was to evaluate yield, plant height, growth rate, tillering, tiller number, spikelets, basal diameter in ryegrass, elongation rate, internode length and decline points in clover over one year. Nutritive value was represented by crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDDM) and metabolisable energy (ME) at three cutting frequencies (30, 45 and 60 days). Better yield (5588 kg DM ha) and plant height (47.1 cm) were shown by the 60-day cutting frequency; however, there was no difference (p > 0.05) between the three cutting frequencies in annual yield. There were no differences between the number of tillers and basal diameter. Clover height, elongation rate and internode length were higher at 60 days. The highest CP concentration and the lowest NDF value (p < 0.05) were achieved by clover at 30 and 45 days. Producers should consider the results when deciding when to use this association in dairy cattle feeding.

Correlation between Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN) Levels with Metabolizable Energy (ME) and Crude Protein (CP) Provided with Ratio of Roughage Concentrate by Supplied Feed of Dairy Cattle and its Effect on Milk Yield and Milk Composition

Correlation between Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN) Levels with Metabolizable Energy (ME) and Crude Protein (CP) Provided with Ratio of Roughage Concentrate by Supplied Feed of Dairy Cattle and its Effect on Milk Yield and Milk Composition

Aplication of Sweet Maize Whole Plant Silage (Zea mays saccharata Sturt) and Gliricia sepium for Feed of Dairy Cattle

The low productivity of smallholder dairy cattle in Indonesia is due to limited capital and feed management. Limited land ownership, resulting in feeding from low-quality natural grasses and agricultural waste, limits milk production. Farmers rely on expensive commercial concentrate feed to improve feed quality. Efforts to improve productivity and milk quality on smallholder farms include utilizing low-cost, high-nutrient forages. Legume forages have the potential to replace commercial concentrates in dairy cow rations because they contain high crude protein (CP) and can increase livestock productivity. Using legumes as a substitute for commercial concentrates can reduce milk production costs by up to 20%. In Indonesia, the most widely cultivated legume crop is Gliricidia. Harapan Makmur Farmer Group is one of the few dairy cattle groups established in Padang City in 2011. The problem of the dairy cattle business is the high feed price, some of which comes from commercial feed. The activity method uses counseling, discussion, and the practice of making sweet corn silage mixed with Gliricidia. These activities concluded that farmers were utilizing forage from legumes to substitute commercial concentrates, and they were skilled in processing corn straw waste from sweet corn cultivation and Gliricidia into silage.

Occurrence of mycotoxins in total mixed ration of dairy farms in Portugal and carry-over to milk

This study aims to explore the presence of mycotoxins in total mixed rations (TMR) employed for feeding dairy cattle and their potential carry-over to milk. A total of 87 TRM samples were collected in farms from the north of Portugal from 2019 to 2022. A method based on a QuEChERS extraction followed by UHPLC-MS/MS detection was employed for sample analysis. The method was in-house validated in terms of matrix effect, linearity, sensitivity, accuracy and precision. The most frequently detected regulated toxins were fumonisins, with a positivity rate of 74%, while deoxynivalenol and zearalenone were found in approximately 35% of the samples. Among the emerging toxins, beauvericin and enniatins exhibited the highest detection rates. In addition, milk samples were collected from 21 farms, providing insights into the carry-over of these toxins and roquefortine to milk, with an estimated rate ranging between 2% and 10%.

Changes in cottonseed meal quality during post-harvest processing of cottonseed

This study investigates aflatoxin contamination levels during the post-harvest processing of whole cottonseed into defatted cottonseed meal, a critical feed component in the dairy industry. Whole fuzzy cottonseed, a byproduct of cotton gins, undergoes various processes to extract oil and produce meal and hulls. These are either used as animal feed or soil amendments. However, aflatoxin contamination poses significant challenges due to strict FDA action levels for dairy and beef cattle feed. This contamination occurs when Aspergillus flavus infects crops under specific environmental conditions or through improper handling during post-harvest processes. Our research aims to document aflatoxin levels during each stage of post-harvest processing, from cleaning to meal formation. Preliminary findings suggest that certain stages may concentrate aflatoxins akin to other agricultural products like dried distillers’ grains and solubles (DDGS). The implications of these findings could be profound for the dairy industry, where low allowable aflatoxin levels impact both economic and animal health outcomes. The cottonseed post-harvest process consists of cleaning, delinting, hull removal, kernel flaking, oil extraction, and meal formation. Understanding how aflatoxin levels change during these steps is crucial for ensuring safe and high-quality defatted cottonseed meal for livestock consumption. Microbial levels increased by 4 orders of magnitude during the acid delinting process, from 7.0× 105 to 5.2 × 109 CFU/g, and 5 orders of magnitude during the mechanical delinting process, from 7.3× 105 to 1.5 × 1010 CFU/g for the inoculated cottonseed samples. Higher microbial load was associated with lower protein levels and lower fat acidity levels. Further research will shed light on the effects of aflatoxin concentration on the nutritional value of the final product.

Dairy Farmers’ Perception on Dairy Cattle Feeds and Feeding System: Brewery By-product Utilization Practice at Kombolcha Regiopolitan City, Ethiopia

A survey was conducted in three selected kebeles of Kombolcha Regiopolitan City in South Wollo Zone. The selected kebeles were in proximity to brewery factory, Ethiopia. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect perception data from purposively selected three kebeles and a total of 57 randomly selected dairy farmers. Data collected were analyzed with a statistical package for social sciences (Version 20) and Microsoft Excel (2010). Smallholder dairy farmers had average herd size of 10.7 and 0.08 hectare total dairy farm per household. Average daily milk yield and lactation length of dairy cows was 10.8 liter/day and 9.5 months, respectively. The majority of farmers (59.6%) reared dairy cows with 50-75% exotic blood. The most smallholder dairy farmers satisfied their feed demand from the market and had a trend of providing both dense and poor quality affordable feed ingredients. Smallholder dairy farmers gave priority to feed different kind of cattle in the order of lactating cows, calve, pregnant, heifers and dry cows and used (100%) wet brewery spent grain as a source of dairy feed. Though, there was a brewery by-product supply deficit for half of year. The majority smallholder dairy farmers delivered brewery by-product directly from the brewery factories and followed by wholesalers and retailers. The majority of smallholder dairy farmers (96.4%) stated that the brewery spent grain was fed and stored freshly using different conservation techniques, and the remaining stored in ensiled (1.8%) and dried (1.8%) forms. Smallholder dairy farmers had no brewery spent grain ensiling practice and feeding brewery yeast to dairy animals. Smallholder dairy farmers indicated that high price due to abnormal market chain and shortage of brewery spent grain supply were the major challenges to sustain dairy industry in the study area, and the majority (40.6%) claimed to get swift solutions at high cost and less accessible brewery by-product.

Effect of additional herbage areas on grazing dairy cows in commercial farms: A GPS and LoRaWAN based case study on herbage intake and milk yield

Although grazing systems are widely used for lactating dairy cattle feed intake is generally lower than in a fully housed system even when the feed quality and animal’s nutritional requirements are similar. Here we investigate whether allocating additional herbage at a time linked to the cow’s behaviour can increase productivity using long range wide area network (LoRa) technology and GPS positioning to track animal activity and position. In particular, we examined whether additional herbage allowance increases daily herbage intake and milk production without compromising grazing efficiency. Fourteen trials were undertaken with commercial dairy herds in 2019, 2020 and 2021 with cows in mid to late lactation. The ‘GrazeMore’ additional grazing was compared to a standard daily herbage allocation. The ‘GrazeMore’ treatment period always followed an initial control period, sometimes with a subsequent control period. The composition of the herds was largely consistent over the duration of each trial, enabling the responses to be compared directly, though with an adjustment made for stage of lactation. Responses to additional ‘GrazeMore’ pasture allocations were inconsistent. Increased intakes during day grazing periods were sometimes balanced by reduced intakes in the following night periods, suggesting that factors other than the quantity of herbage on offer and the timing of its allocation during day grazing were responsible for limiting total 24h herbage intake and milk production. Synchronising additional pasture allocation with grazing behaviour does not always increase herbage intake and milk production.

Level of aflatoxins in dairy feeds, poultry feeds, and feed ingredients produced by feed factories in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Aflatoxins are one of the major factors that affect the quality and safety of feeds. They can be transferred into livestock through contaminated feed and then onto humans via animal sources of food such as milk, meat, and eggs. The objective of this study was to detect and quantify the level of aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2, and total aflatoxin) in dairy feeds, poultry (layer and broiler) feeds, and feed ingredients produced in Addis Ababa. A total of 42 feeds and feed ingredients consisting of dairy feeds (n = 5), poultry broiler feeds (n = 6), layer feeds (n = 6), and feed ingredients (n = 25) were collected from feed factories in the city and analyzed in fresh weigh basis. The aflatoxins were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography after clean-up with immunoaffinity columns. Aflatoxin B1 levels in feeds ranged from 51.66 to 370.51µg/kg in dairy cattle feed, from 1.45 to 139.51µg/kg in poultry layer feed, and from 16.49 to 148.86µg/kg in broiler feed. Aflatoxin B1 levels in maize ranged from 2.64 to 46.74µg/kg and in Niger seed cake from 110.93 to 438.86µg/kg. Aflatoxin B1 levels in wheat bran, wheat middling, and soybean were below 5µg/kg. 100% of dairy feeds, 67% of poultry layer, 67% of broiler feeds, and 24% of ingredients contained aflatoxin in levels higher than the maximum tolerable limit set by the US Food and Drug Administration and Ethiopian Standard Agency. This shows the need for strong regulatory monitoring and better feed management practices to prevent consumers of animal-source foods from significant health impacts associated with aflatoxins.

Developments, bottlenecks, and opportunities in seed markets for improved forages in East Africa: The case of Kenya

AbstractBackgroundCattle farming plays a pivotal role in Africa's agricultural and livestock sector, poised for growth due to population expansion and rising per capita consumption of animal‐sourced food. Forages are a primary source of feed for dairy cattle, significantly impacting production costs. While local forage varieties are preferred by dairy farmers, there has been an increase in the adoption of improved forages in recent years. However, the overall adoption rate is still low, for example, due to underdeveloped forage seed markets.MethodsThis study describes the dynamics, challenges, and potential of these markets in Kenya and selected East African countries, focusing on (i) market evolution over the past decade, (ii) forthcoming market prospects, and (iii) bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement. Data were gathered in 2022 through qualitative interviews with stakeholders representing six segments of the forage seed sector across six countries.ResultsWe found a sustained growth of the improved forage seed market in recent years. The main challenges for further growth are high seed prices, regulatory difficulties, and limited producer knowledge.ConclusionsThe findings unveil positive dynamics in the region's forage seed market, fueled by the engagement and determination of stakeholders who recognize the manifold benefits that it holds for both the dairy industry and economic growth. The realization of this market's potential requires addressing prevailing challenges, including elevated seed costs, intricate variety registration processes, and a pervasive lack of awareness among farmers.

Economic Assessment of Specialized Ingredient-treated Feed for Crossbred Dairy Cattle in Subtropical Climates

This experiment aimed to reduce the cost of feeding dairy cattle that were crossbred using a total of twenty-four crossbred animals. Four groups of six animals each were randomly selected from among the animals. Group 2 (76% treated feed), Group 3 (49% treated feed), Group 4 (100% treated green fodder), and Group 4 (Control) made up Group 1 (Gr-1). The remaining feed A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5, and A-6 received 1.5% urea+5% molasses+0.5% salt, 1.5% urea+5% molasses+1.5% salt, 1.5% urea+10% molasses+1.5% salt, 5% molasses+0.5% salt, and 10% molasses+0.5% salt were applied, respectively. Each animal at the farm cost 81Rs to feed on average. By contrast, under typical conditions, the feeding expenses for the first group in the A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, and A6 groups were 35, 35, 67, 71, 36, and 70 rupees, respectively. There was a decrease of 43, 42, 11, 11, 44, and 10 rupees as a result. In the second group, the reduction for the A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, and A6 treatment groups was 30Rs, 29Rs, 10Rs, 9Rs, 30Rs, and 10Rs, respectively. In the third group, the reduction was 19Rs, 18Rs, 5Rs, 4Rs, 21Rs, and 7Rs, respectively.

Prediction of Maize Yield and Assessment of the Material Circularity of Maize Residues Used in the Dairy Cattle Feed Production

The dairy cattle industry is expanding rapidly to accommodate the growing demand for human consumption. This results in high cattle feed production. This study aims to forecast the amount of maize residue and calculate the circularity level of using maize residue as a feedstock for total mixed ration feed production in dairy cattle feed production. The multiple linear regression analysis is performed to predict maize yields in Thailand so that maize residues can be calculated and used in feed production. The material circularity indicator is also used with biological cycles to assess the circularity level of dairy cattle feed production under the circular economy concept. The results show that the maize yield is expected to increase, resulting in more maize residues. The use of maize residues in daily cattle feed production gives the MCI value of 0.6038, representing a high degree of circularity and explaining the sustainable management of wastes in the cattle feed industry. Moreover, using maize residues as a part of feed ingredients instead of the Napier grass saves the cost by 14.2%. The study results provide a guideline for farmers and related authorities to plan for managing maize residue in daily cattle feed production to lower operation costs and minimize environmental problems. Keywords: Biological cycle, Circular economy, Dairy cattle feed production, Maize residues, Material circularity indicator, Multiple linear regression

Feed characteristics of dried corn grain and corn grain silage produced in Japan compared with imported corn grain.

We compared the in situ dry matter degradability (ISDMD) and crude protein degradability (ISCPD) of high-moisture corn grain silage and dried corn grains produced in Japan (JHC and JDC, respectively) with corn grains imported from the United States (USC), Brazil (BRC), and South Africa (SAC). The ISDMD values of USC, BAC, and SAC were between those of JHC and JDC, but ISDMD did not differ significantly between USC and SAC. In contrast, ISDMD was lower for BAC than USC and SAC. Overall, our results indicate that ISDMD and ISCPD in the rumen differ between corn grains sources (domestic compared with imported and between production locations), primarily due to differences between the corn varieties represented. In particular, the ISDMD and ISCPD of JHC were greater than those of JDC, and this difference in degradability needs to be considered when using high-moisture corn grain silage as a substitute for dried corn grain as a feed for dairy cattle.

Evaluation of nutritional composition and in vitro digestibility of dairy cattle feed resources in Bungoma County, Kenya

Evaluation of nutritional composition and in vitro digestibility of dairy cattle feed resources in Bungoma County, Kenya

ANALYSIS OF THE ACTIVITY OF THE FARM "MALAINE" IN THE DAIRY FARMING SECTOR

Milk production takes place in all EU countries and constitutes a significant part of the value of EU agricultural production. When producing and processing milk, it is important to be able to realize and maintain your economic activity with it. Therefore, the first thing that milk producers and processors do is satisfy the local demand for milk. If more milk is produced than is consumed in the given country, then it is necessary to start thinking about exports that would be able to compete with the products that are already in the planned export markets. Latvia is also on the list of countries that produce more milk than is needed for self-consumption.
 The main type of activity and source of income of farm "Malaine" is side farming, but the farm is also engaged in grain farming, which helps to get additional profit in unstable years and provides its farm with high-quality feed for dairy cattle. The farm has more than 100 dairy cows. The number of dairy cows is independently increased by breeding work, selecting only the best calves from the most worthy cows.

Feed-food and land use competition of lowland and mountain dairy cow farms

Dairy cows and other ruminants contribute to human nutrition as they are able to convert feed components containing human inedible fibre concentrations (e.g. roughage and by-products from the food processing industry) into valuable animal-sourced food. A number of crops often fed to dairy cows (e.g. soy or cereals) are however potentially edible by humans too. Additionally, land used to grow dairy cattle feed may compete with crop production for human consumption. Two different methods to assess the competition between feed consumption of dairy cows and human food supply were thus refined and tested on 25 Swiss dairy farms. With respect to the potential human edibility of the feeds used in dairy production, the human-edible feed conversion ratio (eFCR) was applied. The land use ratio (LUR) was used to relate the food production potential, per area of land utilised, with the dairy production output. Low to medium eFCR, with values ranging from 0.02 to 0.68 were found, as an average proportion of 0.74 of total DM intake consisted of roughage. In contrast, we found relatively high LUR (0.69–5.93) for most farms. If the land area used to produce feed for cows was used for crop production (applying a crop rotation), 23 of the 25 farms could have produced more edible protein and all farms more human-edible energy. Indicator values strongly depend on the underlying scenarios, such as the human-edible proportion of feeds or the suitability of land and climate for crop production. Reducing the amount of human-edible feeds in dairy farming by feeding by-products from the food processing industry and improving forage quality may be suitable strategies to reduce eFCR, but relying on low-opportunity cost feeds may restrict milk performance level per cow. On farm level, improving overall efficiency and therefore using less land (especially area suitable for crop production) per kg product decreases LUR. However, the most promising strategy to mitigate land use competition may be to localise dairy production to land areas not suitable for crop production. Both methods (eFCR and LUR) should be used in parallel. They offer an opportunity to holistically evaluate the net contribution of dairy production to the human food supply under different environmental conditions and stress the importance of production systems well suited to specific farm site characteristics.

328 Comparison of Predicted Nutritional Requirements of Two Feeding Systems for Dairy Cattle Implemented in a Monte-Carlo Simulation Model of Herd Dynamics

Abstract There is increased interest in precision-feeding systems that account for individual-animal variation and temporal dairy herd dynamics to increase feed-efficiency and reduce environmental footprints. The Ruminant Farm Systems (RuFaS; Hansen et al., 2021) model simulates individual animals on a daily timestep using a stochastic, Monte Carlo framework to represent the phenotypic diversity and population dynamics expected in a dairy herd. Within RuFaS, individual animal nutrient requirements are used to inform pen-level diet formulations and feed delivery. However, nutritional requirements for feeding dairy cattle were recently updated via consideration of both animal and diet-related factors. Our aim was to calculate individual animal predictions for dry matter intake (DMI), as well as energy and metabolizable protein requirements, and compare the methods described in the 7th (NRC, 2001) and 8th (NASEM, 2021) editions of the Nutrient Requirements for Dairy Cattle. For that purpose, we simulated dairy herds (ca. 6,000 individual Holstein animals per simulation, mean adult body weight = 671 kg, standard deviation = 79, mean daily milk production = 39.8 kg·day-1·cow-1 , standard deviation = 7.5) for 10+ year time periods with an updated version of RuFaS. The simulated herds provided a wide range of values with which to test the nutrient requirement models, and their implications. The NASEM DMI estimates were less across the board but began to converge towards NRC calculated values at the larger simulated animal body weights. The principal differences in energy requirements between the two models (NRC vs. NASEM) were: 1) predicted requirements for pregnancy were significantly greater for NASEM than NRC across all life history stages; 2) NASEM displayed slightly greater energy requirements for growth in first and second lactation cows, and; 3) NASEM predicted decreased maintenance requirements for all heifer stages but the opposite was true for mature cows. Metabolizable protein requirements were greater following NASEM calculations in heifers over 300 kg, but strikingly similar to NRC-computed values for lactating cows. Overall, results from this modeling study align with our expectations and demonstrate successful implementation of the two nutrition models within the RuFaS model. These outputs confirm the usefulness of data obtained to explore applications of the two nutrient requirement models under different precision feeding management practices and, to some extent, to quantitatively evaluate their viability of the models in edge cases that can occur within the expected variation of a herd’s population. Future work will explore downstream consequences of the nutrient requirement models within the automated, least-cost ration formulation framework using nonlinear programming and metrics related to manure output and storage. These data will guide further developments of RuFaS as whole farm simulation model and provide insights into expected variation in nutritional requirements within a dynamic set of animals.

Nutritional Evaluation of Moringa Oleifera Leaves in Feeding Dairy Cattle on White Cheese Technological Properties

Nutritional Evaluation of Moringa Oleifera Leaves in Feeding Dairy Cattle on White Cheese Technological Properties