Forage How Much is Enough in a Time of strongScarcitystrong.pdfVIP

Forage: How Much do Dairy Cows need in a Time of Scarcity? Karen Beauchemin and Wen Yang Research Center, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Box 3000, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, CANADA E-mail: beauchemin@agr.gc.ca  Take Home Message Lack of available good quality forages may prompt some producers to reduce the proportion of forage in the diet. It is possible to maintain high levels of production and animal health with low forage diets, however a higher level of management is required to be successful. Much more care must be taken in formulating low forage diets, particularly with barley diets. To prevent ruminal acidosis, starch content of the diet should not exceed 33%. In most cases, this corresponds to 21 to 23% forage NDF. Lower levels of forage fiber can be fed, but starch content must also be adjusted downward. Maintaining adequate forage particle size is critical in low forage diets.  Introduction Dairy cows need to consume high-energy diets in order to meet the increasing demands placed on them to produce large quantities of milk. Consequently, diets fed to high producing cows tend to be low in fiber, high in starch, and contain relatively short particles. However, it is critical to balance the need for high-energy diets with the need to supply adequate fiber, in a form that is physically effective. Physically effective fiber stimulates the cow to chew and produce the buffers that neutralize the acids produced during fermentation of feed. In order for cows to achieve their genetic potential for milk production and remain healthy, it is critical that the rumen environment be kept healthy. When the rumen becomes dysfunctional, feed digestion is impaired and cows become susceptible to a range of metabolic diseases. The dro