Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Two years of field plot data were collected from seeding alfalfa grass mixtures. A student monitored, made plant counts of each species, and measured yield and forage quality. The objectives of this project were to 1) evaluate the effect of replacing some of the nonfiborus carbohydrates from corn silage and alfalfa silage with digestible fiber from tall fescue or meadow fescue silage, 2) evaluate the grass and alfalfa plant community dynamics, grass percentage of biomass, yields, and forage quality during the establishment of tall fescue, meadow fescue, and orchardgrass (Dactvlis glomerata L.) grown in mixtures with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) at increasing grass seeding rates, and 3) evaluate the yields, grass percentage of biomass, and forage quality of established stands of tall fescue, meadow fescue, and orchardgrass grown in mixtures with alfalfa at increasing grass seeding rates.The study consisted of field plots of alfalfa grass mixtures harvested as appropriate during the season and of a feeding trial with 15% grass mixed with corn silage and alfalfa.The agronomic research showed the effect of different seeding rates on the final composition of alfalfa grass mixtures. PARTICIPANTS: Bill Verbeten finished his M.S. degree, wrote a thesis and has submitted drafts of 3 papers to journals. Dave Combs and Dan Undersander were the co-PI's. TARGET AUDIENCES: Dairy industry consultants, farmers PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The feeding trial data showed that grass could be included in a dairy diet and, while diet NDF rose slightly, milk production was maintained or increased slightly. When tall fescue or meadow fescue grass silages partially replaced some of the alfalfa silage and corn silage, cows had similar dry matter intake and fat corrected milk production to cows consuming a diet with supplemental wheat straw and a diet without any supplemental fiber to corn silage and alfalfa silage. Dry matter intake did not differ among cows eating any of the diets. The in vitro and in situ neutral detergent fiber digestibility of meadow fescue and tall fescue were greater than alfalfa silage, corn silage and wheat straw. Total tract organic matter digestibility was greater for cows consuming the tall fescue diet than the low fiber and supplemental wheat straw diets. The dry matter intake (>20 kg/day), milk yield (>40 kg/day), and fat corrected milk yield (>40 kg/day) of diets containing tall fescue or meadow fescue grass silage as a partial replacement for alfalfa silage and corn silage were comparable with the high production goals (> 40 kg milk/cow/day) of modern confinement dairy farms and equaled or exceeded most of the dairy production parameters compared with two common conventional diet formulations with or without supplemental wheat straw. Increasing the grass seeding rate of tall fescue, meadow fescue, and orchardgrass affected the early season sward dynamics during establishment, but had little effect on sward grass and alfalfa plant populations by the end of the seeding year. The occurrence of intra-specific competition among grass plants reduced grass establishment percentage as grass seeding rates increased at the beginning and end of the establishment year. Alfalfa establishment percentage was reduced compared to pure alfalfa equally across most grass seeding rates at the beginning of the seeding year due to inter-specific competition with grasses. However by the end of the seeding year, intra-specific competition in the pure alfalfa reduced alfalfa establishment percentage to levels similar to most grass-alfalfa mixtures. Total plant populations did not differ at the end of the trial. Total season yields were similar between grass alfalfa mixtures and pure alfalfa, but some yield differences between grass species occurred during the first production year. While not affecting yield, increasing grass seeding rate changed forage quality during the first production year of tall fescue, meadow fescue and orchardgrass mixtures with alfalfa. Increasing grass seeding rate did not increase grass percentage above the lowest grass seeding rate, but under some environmental conditions high grass seeding rates of tall fescue greatly reduced the alfalfa in the mixtures. Increasing grass seeding rate increased fiber digestibility and fiber content while reducing the crude protein content of grass-alfalfa mixtures compared to pure alfalfa during the first production year, but these changes were not as evident in meadow fescue mixtures compared to tall fescue and orchardgrass mixtures with alfalfa.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The graduate student has completed two years of field trials and one feeding trial with milking dairy cows. He is in the process of finishing the thesis which will include three papers for publication. Preliminary results have been highly sought after by consulting nutritionists and dairy farmers. Dr. Combs and Dr. Undersander have given numerous presentations to these groups over the past year. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Dave Combs, Dr. Undersander, and Bill Verbeten worked on this project. Numerous presentations were giving at regional and local forage/nutrition meetings. Training was also conducted for consulting nutritionists. TARGET AUDIENCES: Dairy farmers, Consulting nutritionists, Consulting agronomists PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
This research has resulted in recommendations for planting grass and alfalfa mixtures to obtain a final result of 30 to 40% grass and 60 to 70% alfalfa. It has indicated that different grass species establish and thin differently in the seeding year. It has shown that adding grass to alfalfa generally does not affect the yield of the stand compared to pure alfalfa if the alfalfa is growing well. This research has developed new understanding of NDF and the digestibility of NDF on intake allowing the recommendation that dairy ration NDF can be increased slightly if a portion of the NDF comes from cool season grass.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Grass/alfalfa plots were planted and yield data collected. The yield data from the 2009 planting showed that increasing the grass percentage to 50% had no effect of yield (compared to 10% alfalfa) for orchardgrass, tall fescue or meadow fescue. Increasing grass % above 50 reduced total plot yield. A feeding trial was conducted and data is being analyzed. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for the data will be dairymen, dairy nutritionists, and agronomists growing forages for dairy cattle. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The data shows that grasses can be mixed with alfalfa over a wide range of pecentages without affecting final yield of the field. The initial feeding trial results show that 14% grass can be using in high corn silage dairy rations without negatively impacting milk production.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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