Forages part 2
Learning objectives
Learn about haymaking and hay nutrient losses
The goal of haymaking is to preserve the forage by making it dry enough through the curing
process so that molds cannot grow, and the enzymes of spoilage bacteria cannot function.
Hay losses:
● Shattering - as hay sits in the windrows, it dries out unevenly; leaves dry out faster than
stems and tend to become brittle and fall off
● Bleaching - hay is overexposed to the sun resulting in loss of vitamins
● Raining on - hay may lose considerable nutritive value because water washes out
soluble nutrients like sugars
Use of crop residues (e.g., straw)
Crop residues (straw) is:
● Poorly digested
● Have mostly stems
● Nutritive value and palatability is very low
● Limited use in livestock diets
● Highly lignified
Role of pasture in diets
Pasture benefits:
● Less labor for feeding livestock
● Cheaper to produce than hay, silage, or green chop
● Optimize the use of land because allows animals to harvest forage and spread manure
Pasture challenges and supplementation
Nitrate poisoning
Grass tetany
Early in the growing season
High producing dairy cows may reduce production and lose weight on pasture
Pasture is not a balanced diet because it represents only the forage portion of the diet
Differences between continuous and rotational grazing
Continuous grazing is a stock pasture with animals continuously grazing
● Selective grazing
● Does not maximize pasture nutrient utilization
Rotational grazing is when animals are moved through paddocks in fenced pastures
● Maximize pasture nutrient utilization
Learning objectives
Learn about haymaking and hay nutrient losses
The goal of haymaking is to preserve the forage by making it dry enough through the curing
process so that molds cannot grow, and the enzymes of spoilage bacteria cannot function.
Hay losses:
● Shattering - as hay sits in the windrows, it dries out unevenly; leaves dry out faster than
stems and tend to become brittle and fall off
● Bleaching - hay is overexposed to the sun resulting in loss of vitamins
● Raining on - hay may lose considerable nutritive value because water washes out
soluble nutrients like sugars
Use of crop residues (e.g., straw)
Crop residues (straw) is:
● Poorly digested
● Have mostly stems
● Nutritive value and palatability is very low
● Limited use in livestock diets
● Highly lignified
Role of pasture in diets
Pasture benefits:
● Less labor for feeding livestock
● Cheaper to produce than hay, silage, or green chop
● Optimize the use of land because allows animals to harvest forage and spread manure
Pasture challenges and supplementation
Nitrate poisoning
Grass tetany
Early in the growing season
High producing dairy cows may reduce production and lose weight on pasture
Pasture is not a balanced diet because it represents only the forage portion of the diet
Differences between continuous and rotational grazing
Continuous grazing is a stock pasture with animals continuously grazing
● Selective grazing
● Does not maximize pasture nutrient utilization
Rotational grazing is when animals are moved through paddocks in fenced pastures
● Maximize pasture nutrient utilization
