Feeding fodder beet (<i>Beta vulgaris</i> L.) with either barley straw or pasture silage to non-lactating dairy cows

Waghorn, G. C.; Collier, K; Bryant, M.; Dalley, D. E.

doi:10.1080/00480169.2018.1465484

Cited by 24 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Feeding FB ad libitum to beef steers in metabolism crates had no effect on mean pH compared to animals fed with a traditional ryegrass herbage diet (Prendergast and Gibbs, 2015). However, Waghorn et al (2018) reported five out of eight non-lactating dairy cows, developed acute acidosis, when similar allocations of FB were offered. Despite the increased use of FB as an early lactation supplement to utilize residual winter forage, research of the effects on early lactation rumen function and fermentation is scarce.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling feeding strategies to improve milk production, rumen function and discomfort of the early lactation dairy cow supplemented with fodder beet

et al. 2020

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Feeding fodder beet (FB) to dairy cows in early lactation has recently been adopted by New Zealand dairy producers despite limited definition of feeding and grazing management practices that may prevent acute and sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA). This modelling study aimed to characterize changes of rumen pH, milk production and total discomfort from FB and define practical feeding strategies of a mixed herbage and FB diet. The deterministic, dynamic and mechanistic model MINDY was used to compare a factorial arrangement of FB allowance (FBA), herbage allowance (HA) and time of allocation. The FBA were 0, 2, 4 or 7 kg dry matter (DM)/cow/day (0FB, 2FB, 4FB and 7FB, respectively) and HA were 18, 24 or 48 kg DM/cow/day above ground. All combinations were offered either in the morning or afternoon or split across two equal meals. Milk production from 2FB diets was similar to 0FB but declined by 4 and 16% when FB increased to 4 and 7 kg DM, respectively. MINDY predicted that 7FB would result in SARA and that rumen conditions were sub-optimal even at moderate FBA (pH < 5.6 for 160 and 90 min/day, 7FB and 4FB respectively). Pareto front analysis identified the best compromise between high milk production and low total discomfort was achieved by splitting the 2FB diet into two equal meals fed each day with 48 kg DM herbage. However, due to low milk response and high risk of acidosis, it is concluded that FB is a poor supplement for lactating dairy cows.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling feeding strategies to improve milk production, rumen function and discomfort of the early lactation dairy cow supplemented with fodder beet

et al. 2020

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“…Despite straw being readily available in GB, its low use in the current survey contrasts with that in Canterbury, NZ, where straw was reported to be frequently fed to dry cows (Edwards et al 2017). Straw is high in functional fibre, but recent research suggests that it is not suitable as a supplement with fodder beet (Waghorn et al 2018, Pacheco et al 2020.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 67%

“…Kale and fodder beet both have the advantage of a high nutritive value and yield in comparison to winter pasture, and thus less area is required for winter grazing (Atkins et al 2018;Keogh, French, McGrath et al 2009b). However, kale has well documented anti-nutritional factors, including high levels of S-methyl-cysteine sulphoxide (SMCO) and glucosinolates, whilst there is a high concentration of water-soluble carbohydrates, low protein and low mineral concentration in fodder beet, rendering additional forage supplementation essential (Barry 2013, Waghorn et al 2018). In the current survey, use of straw as a supplementary feed made up less than 3% of responses for R1 heifers, but 18% for R2 heifers.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Commercial practice of out-wintering dairy heifers in Great Britain

Atkins

Walley

Sinclair

2020

Journal of NZ Grasslands

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The majority of dairy cattle in Great Britain (GB) are housed during winter but replacement heifers are out-wintered on some farms, a practice that may reduce the need for high capital-cost housing and facilitate herd expansion. Dairy farmers that were out-wintering replacement heifers in GB in 2012 were surveyed to determine current practice and attitudes. A typical system involved heifers strip grazing pasture or a crop, with baled grass silage as supplementary feed; strongly resembling outdoor wintering systems in New Zealand. Many used more than one grazed forage; predominantly, pasture on 68%, kale on 53% and fodder beet on 33% of farms. Supplementary feed was 44% of the diet in younger, and 35% in older heifers. Although farms were approximately three times larger than the national average and 60% were expanding, expanding herd size was not the primary reason for out-wintering, with the main reasons being to reduce cost and improve animal health and welfare. Farmers that out-wintered heifers typically reported good animal average dairy gain of 0.6 kg/d and high body condition, however, this contrasts with some measured performance in GB. Farmers may benefit from accurate feed allocation and monitoring heifer live weight during winter to ensure high performance.

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“…Fodder beet bulbs are low in crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) (Dalley et al 2017;Waghorn et al 2018). At the time of grazing, FB bulbs usually make up over 80% of the FB offered, which means when FB comprises a large proportion of the diet, it may not supply the recommended daily intake of these nutrients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These imbalances can reduce animal production and impair animal health (Grace et al 2010). For example, a diet containing 85% FB and the remainder being barley straw provides inadequate nutrition for non-lactating cows and a leads to a high incidence of acidosis (Waghorn et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of winter fodder beet or kale allocation on body condition score gain and early lactation performance of dairy cows

Dalley

Edwards

Woods

2020

Journal of NZ Grasslands

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Forage crops such as fodder beet (FB) and kale are an important feature of dairy farming in Southland and Otago where winter pasture growth is negligible. However, farmers are concerned about poor performance of cows following winter FB feeding. In winter 2017, cows were offered FB or kale both with pasture baleage at two allocation rates: target (crop allocated to achieve a winter body condition score (BCS) gain of 0.7) or high (ad libitum crop). Diets with FB were lower in fibre, phosphorus, sulphur and calcium, but had a higher metabolizable energy, compared with kale diets. Body condition change and early lactation performance were monitored to compare effects of winter FB and kale diets. Average daily BCS gain before calving was similar for FB and kale cows. Crop type had a greater impact on cow performance than allocation rate. Cows wintered on FB had better reproductive performance (3-week pregnancy rate), and greater average milk solids, fat and protein yield (kg/d) than cows wintered on kale. Therefore, winter FB did not reduce cow performance compared with kale. However, the cumulative effects of a FB diet long term are yet to be determined and future research should monitor the impact on animal health.

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Feeding fodder beet (Beta vulgaris L.) with either barley straw or pasture silage to non-lactating dairy cows

Cited by 24 publications

References 10 publications

Modelling feeding strategies to improve milk production, rumen function and discomfort of the early lactation dairy cow supplemented with fodder beet

Modelling feeding strategies to improve milk production, rumen function and discomfort of the early lactation dairy cow supplemented with fodder beet

Commercial practice of out-wintering dairy heifers in Great Britain

Impact of winter fodder beet or kale allocation on body condition score gain and early lactation performance of dairy cows

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