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Understanding Forage Quality

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Understanding Forage Quality Suggested retail price $3.50 Understanding forage quality Don Ball Mike Collins Garry Lacefield Neal Martin David Mertens Ken Olson Dan Putnam Dan Undersander Mike Wolf Contents Understanding forage quality 1 What is forage quality? 2 Factors affecting forage quality 3 Species differences 3 Temperature 3 Maturity stage 4 Leaf-to-stem ratio 4 Grass-legume mixtures 5 Fertilization 5 Daily fluctuations in forage quality 5 Variety effects 5 Harvesting and storage effects 6 Sensory evaluation of hay 7 Laboratory analysis of forage 8 Laboratory analytical techniques 8 Laboratory proficiency 10 Understanding laboratory reports 11 Matching forage quality to animal needs 12 Reproduction 12 Growth 13 Fattening 13 Lactation 13 Economic impacts of forage quality 14 Pasture forage quality 14 Hay quality 15 Other considerations 15 Key concepts to remember 15 Additional information 15 Glossary 16 Adequate animal nutrition is essential In recent years, advances in plant and Understanding for high rates of gain, ample milk pro- animal breeding, introduction of new duction, efficient reproduction, and products, and development of new forage quality adequate profits (see sidebar). management approaches have made orage quality is defined in various However, forage quality varies greatly it possible to increase animal perform- ways but is often poorly under- among and within forage crops, and ance. However, for this to be realized, Fstood. It represents a simple nutritional needs vary among and there must be additional focus on concept, yet encompasses much com- within animal species and classes. forage quality.The purpose of this plexity.Though important, forage Producing suitable quality forage for a publication is to provide information quality often receives far less consid- given situation requires knowing the about forage quality and forage eration than it deserves. factors that affect forage quality, then testing that can be used to increase exercising management accordingly. animal performance and producer Analyzing forages for nutrient content profits. can be used to determine whether quality is adequate and to guide proper ration supplementation. IMPORTANCE OF FORAGE QUALITY Forage quality has a direct effect on animal performance, forage value, and, ultimately, on profits.The following graphs show the links between quality, performance, and returns. Weight gain Milk production Reproductive efficiency Stocker beef cattle gains from different Production from 8 tons/acre of alfalfa Conception rates of cows grazing fescue forages, Alabama hay of either low or high quality, Wisconsin or fescue/clover, Indiana & Illinois endophyte-infected 15,000 100 ) increase = $400 profit Indiana tall fescue e r c Illinois ) a 12,000 80 hybrid sorghum- / % ( b l e sudangrass ( t n 9,000 a r 60 o sericea i t n c lespedeza o i u t d 6,000 p 40 orchardgrass o e r c p & white clover n k o l c annual i 3,000 20 m ryegrass m 0 0 alfalfa low-quality high-quality tall fescue clover & tall fescue hay hay 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 average daily gain (lb) Hay sale prices Prices paid in quality-tested hay auctions, Effect of forage quality on hay price Wisconsin, 1984-98 average all California markets (1996-2000) 160 160 ) n o 140 140 t / ) $ ( 120 n 120 o d i t / a 100 $ 100 p ( e d 80 i c 80 i a r p p 60 e 60 e c supreme (<27% ADF) i g r a 40 premium (27-30% ADF) r p 40 e v 20 good (30-32% ADF) 20 a fair (32-35% ADF) 0 0 <7575-86 87-102 103-124 125-150 >150 15234 year forage quality (RFV) 1 UNDERSTANDING FORAGE QUALITY analyses, forage yield and nutrient animal sensitivity. High-quality What is forage content are usually expressed on a forages must not contain harmful dry matter (DM) basis. Forage dry levels of anti-quality components. quality? matter can be divided into two I Animal performance is the orage quality can be defined as the main categories: (1) cell contents ultimate test of forage quality, extent to which a forage has the (the non-structural parts of the especially when forages are fed Fpotential to produce a desired plant tissue such as protein, sugar, alone and free choice. Forage animal response. Factors that influence and starch); and (2) structural com- quality encompasses “nutritive forage quality include the following. ponents of the cell wall (cellulose, value” (the potential for supplying hemicellulose, and lignin). I Palatability Will the animals eat nutrients, i.e., digestibility and the forage? Animals select one I Anti-quality factors Various com- nutrient content), how much forage over another based on pounds may be present in forage animals will consume, and any smell, feel, and taste. Palatability that can lower animal perform- anti-quality factors present. Animal may therefore be influenced by ance, cause sickness, or even result performance can be influenced by texture, leafiness, fertilization, dung in death. Such compounds include any of several factors associated or urine patches, moisture content, tannins, nitrates, alkaloids, cyano- with either the plants or the pest infestation, or compounds glycosides, estrogens, and myco- animals (figure 1). Failure to give that cause a forage to taste sweet, toxins.The presence and/or proper consideration to any of sour, or salty. High-quality forages severity of these elements depend these factors may reduce an are generally highly palatable. on the plant species present animal’s performance level, which (including weeds), time of year, in turn reduces potential income. I Intake How much will they eat? environmental conditions, and Animals must consume adequate quantities of forage to perform well.Typically, the higher the Figure 1. Factors that affect animal performance on forage. palatability and forage quality, the higher the intake. Animal performance I Digestibility How much of the Nutrients utilized per unit of time forage will be digested? Digestibility (true feeding value) (the extent to which forage is absorbed as it passes through an animal’s digestive tract) varies greatly. Immature, leafy plant Plant/animal complex I tissues may be 80 to 90% digested, Balance of nutrients relative to need I while less than 50% of mature, Extent of digestion of nutrients I stemmy material is digested. Rate of digestion of nutrients I Effective utilization of digested nutrients I Nutrient content Once digested, I Availability and palatability of forage will the forage provide an adequate I Level of intake level of nutrients? Living forage I Response to anti-quality factors plants usually contain 70 to 90% I Interaction with supplements water.To standardize Potential forage Potential animal feeding value performance Potential Anti-quality Potential Genetic Environmental nutritive value factors intake factors factors Genotype Climate Genotype Climate Plant part Soil Body size Physiological Pests Maturation Pests Sex factors Herd effects Age Source: Marten, G.C., D.R. Buxton, and R.F.Barnes, 1988. Feeding value (forage Body condition quality). In Alfalfa and Alfalfa Improvement, Monograph no. 29. Madison,Wis.: Health ASSA/CSSA/SSSA. 2 A comparison of timothy and alfalfa Cool-season species are generally Factors affecting from the second cut of a mixed stand higher in quality than warm-season (figure 2) illustrates typical species dif- grasses.The digestibility of cool- forage quality ferences in quality. Alfalfa, at early season grass species averages about any factors influence forage bloom, had 16% crude protein (CP) 9% higher than warm-season grasses. quality.The most important are compared with 9.5% in timothy. Minimum crude protein levels found Mforage species, stage of maturity However, applying substantial amounts in warm-season grasses are also lower at harvest, and (for stored forages) of nitrogen fertilizer to grasses can than those found in cool-season harvesting and storage methods. make their CP levels comparable to grasses.Within each category, annual Secondary factors include soil fertility legume forage. grasses are often higher in quality and fertilization, temperatures during In the same comparison, timothy had than perennials. Due to differences in forage growth, and variety. considerably higher levels of neutral leaf anatomy (tissue arrangement or detergent fiber (NDF) than alfalfa. structure), warm-season grasses Species differences Typically, higher NDF (total fiber) levels convert sunlight into forage more effi- and a slower rate of fiber (cell wall) ciently than cool-season grasses, but Legumes vs. grasses digestion for grass forages results in their leaves contain a higher propor- Legumes generally produce higher lower voluntary intake compared with tion of highly lignified, less digestible quality forage than grasses.This is legumes. Faster digestion allows more tissues. because legumes usually have less forage (and thus more nutrients) to be fiber and favor higher intake than consumed. Temperature grasses. One of the most significant Cool-season vs. Plants grown at high temperatures benefits of growing legumes with generally produce lower quality grasses is improvement of forage warm-season grasses forage than plants grown under quality. There is considerable variation in cooler temperatures, and cool-season forage quality among the grasses species grow most during the cooler used as cultivated forages in the months of the year. However, forage of United States. Forage grasses are any species tends to be lower in divided into two broad categories: quality if produced in a warm region cool season (adapted to temperate rather than a cool region. For example, regions) and warm season (best in one study annual ryegrass grown at adapted to tropical or subtropical temperatures of 50° to 59°F produced environments). Cool-season grasses forage made up of 59% leaf material, include orchardgrass, Kentucky blue- but only 36% leaf matter when grown grass, perennial and annual ryegrass, at 68° to 77°F. and tall fescue. Bermudagrass, bahia- grass, dallisgrass, and corn are examples of warm-season grasses.
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