kenneth e. turner, ph.d. research animal scientist and lead scientist usda agricultural research...
TRANSCRIPT
Kenneth E. Turner, Ph.D.
Research Animal Scientist
and Lead Scientist
USDA
Agricultural Research Service
Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center
Beaver, WV 25813
USDAAgricultural Research Service
Appalachian Farming Systems Research CenterBeaver, WV
http://www.ars.usda.gov/naa/afsrc
Agricultural HistoryYear Total U.S. Population % Farmers
1790 3,929,214 90
1840 17,069,453 69
1860 31,443,321 58
1890 62,941,714 43
1900 75,994,266 38
1920 105,719,620 27
1950 151,132,000 12.2
1970 204,335,000 4.6
1980 227,020,000 3.4
1990 246,081,000 2.6
2000
2010
281,421,906
310,233 000
1.9
?
Grazers vs Browsers
• Cattle are grazers: 70% herbage 20% forbs and 10% browse
• Sheep are intermediate: 60% herbage 30% forbs
10% browse• Goats are browsers: 20 % herbage
20% forbs and 60% browse
• Substitute 5 sheep or 6 goats for 1 cow
Grazing Pasture
• Manage pasture to supply adequate nutrition.• Goats select plant parts with highest nutritive
value.• Maintain pasture/browse area.• Reduce disease and control parasites.• Milk production response to supplementation
depends on pasture quality (Langston Univ. study) using wheat, clover, crabgrass, sudangrass, wheat/ryegrass.
Dairy Goats
• Dietary Protein Intake76% used for milk protein production14% used for milk lactose production10% used for milk butterfat production
• Breed DifferencesEuropean dairy goats 3.8% BFNubians higher BF
Acetate Palmitate Butterfat
Increasing Butterfat
• Don’t over feed supplement never > 50% diet.• Supplement to Forage Ratio approaches 2:1 (too
high).• Feed forage, then supplement 3 to 4 times during day
vs. supplement 2 times (only at milking time).• Good quality forage; low quality forage reduces BF
(feed buffers).• Dried brewer’s grains acetate BF.• Breed for high BF and milk production.• A few Nubians in flock add BF to tank.
Milk Protein
• Protein in milk ~ 3%
• Increasing grain or fat in diet does not increase milk protein.
• If diet low in protein, feeding protein (especially rumen escape protein) can increase milk protein.
Milk Urea NitrogenBlood Urea Nitrogen
• MUN ~8-16 mg/dl (BUN ~10-14 mg/dl).• MUN < 8-10 mg/dl; protein needed.• MUN > 16 mg/dl; overfeeding protein;
energy needed.• BUN > 19-20 mg/dl; overfeeding
protein Reproductive failure (decreased conception).
• Energy:Protein ratio; TDN:CP ratio
Maintain Pasture with High Nutritive Value
• As nutritive value (Energy and CP) of forage declines (especially CP) as plant matures.
• Animals become more susceptible to GI parasites:
Kids > Yearlings > Older Does
Lambs > Yearlings > Older Ewes
Definitions• Forages—edible parts of plants (not grain) that can be
grazed or mechanically harvested (herbages, forbs, and browse).
• Herbages—(grasses); usually, above-ground biomass of herbaceous (non-woody) plants other than grains; includes roots and tubers.
• Forbs—(Legumes, weeds, and herbs); any herbaceous broadleaf plant that is not a grass or not grass-like.
• Browse—leaf and twig growth of woody plants, vines, shrubs, brambles, trees, and other non-herbaceous plants.
Cool-season Grasses
• KY bluegrass
• Orchardgrass
• Smooth bromegrass
• Tall fescue (not recommended)
Others
Annual Grasses
• Oats
• Winter rye
• Winter wheat
Forbs
• Chicory
• Brassicas (turnip, kale, etc).
Feedstuff
Percent Energy
(TDN)
Percent Protein
(CP)
Orchardgrass Pasture 65 18
Clover Pasture 69 25
Mature Pasture 50 8
Honeysuckle 72 16
Grass Hay 58 12
Mixed Hay 50 15
Legume Hay 62 18
Poor Hay 50 8
Corn 89 10
Soybean Meal 88 44
Barley Grain 84 13.5
Complete Pellets 78 12-16
Table 1. Seasonal average of nutritive value parameters for Autumn Olive (AO), Multiflora Rose
(MFR), and Morrow’s Honeysuckle (HS) over the 1999 growing season.
Item AO MFR HS Sig. SE
Total N,% 4.24a 2.32b 2.67b *** 0.13
CP, % 26.5a 14.5b 16.7b *** 0.83
Total S, % 0.44a 0.20c 0.29b *** 0.03
N:S Ratio 10.2 12.4 10.8 NS 0.75
IVOMD, % 63.2b 67.0a,b 68.5a P=0.06 1.77
NDF, % 33.2a 27.7b 26.5b *** 1.03
ADF, % 20.2 17.5 18.0 NS 1.39
Forages
• Low nutritive value forage 40-50% TDN
• Good nutritive value forage 55-70% TDN
• Concentrate feeds 70-90% TDN
CP in Grasses(General)
• Leaves contain more CP than stems.
• WSG have more stems than leaves; thus CP may be lower.
• Application of nitrogen fertilizer (costs $$$) improves CP content.
• Maintaining swards in vegetative stage improves CP content.
CP in Legumes
• Legumes have higher CP than grasses
• Legumes– Alfalfa– White clover or Red clover– Lespedeza– Birdsfoot trefoil
Condensed Tannins in Ruminants
• Reduce bloat in ruminants• Increase “Rumen-escape Protein”• Enhance protein-use efficiency and immune
system via rumen escape-protein• Influence nitrogen cycle in the ruminant to reduce
nitrogen overloads and methane in the environment.
• Act as an anthelmintic (dewormer) to reduce fecal egg counts (FEC) in small ruminants.
BioActive Forages
• Lambs grazing Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) had lower FEC and GI nematodes than Ryegrass-White clover.
Marley et al. 2003.
Vet. Parasitol. 112:147-155.
Condensed tannins
BioActive Forages
• Goats grazing Sericea Lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) had lower FEC after 5 days; FEC rebounded when grazing non-tannin forages.
Min et al., 2004.
Small Ruminant Res. 51:279-283.
Condensed tannins
BioActive Forages
• Lambs grazing Chicory had fewer nematodes than Ryegrass-White Clover
Marley et al., 2003.
Vet. Parasitol. 112:147-155.
Sesquiterpene lactones
Condensed tannins
March April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rela
tive
Need
relative dry matter intake
relative forage availability
excess forage
insuffient forage
Wean &place on pasture
Market
Fig. 2. Relationship of critical gaps in seasonal perennial forage production to dry matter intake requirements of spring -kidded meat goats from weaning to market weight .
March April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rela
tive
Need
relative dry matter intake
relative forage availability
excess forage
insuffient forage
Wean &place on pasture
Market
March April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rela
tive
Need
relative dry matter intake
relative forage availability
excess forage
excess forage
insuffient forage
insuffient forage
Wean &place on pasture
Market
Fig. 2. Relationship of critical gaps in seasonal perennial forage production to dry matter intake requirements of spring -kidded meat goats from weaning to market weight .
Cool-season Forages
Periods of InsufficientCool-Season Herbage(Quantity and Quality)
Extending Grazing Season---What do I do???
• Warm-season grasses• Prairie Bromegrass• Use of brassicas in fall (turnips, rape, kale)• Stockpiled forages (requires N fertilizer)• Hay feeding $$$• Supplemental energy (corn) $$$ or by-product feeds:
distillers grains, brewers grains, corn gluten feeds—check
high sulfur (excess sulfates/PEM) and Ca:P (1:1 to 2:1) ratio (urolithiasis/urinary calculi)]
Allow:12 inches per lamb or kid15 inches per ewe or doe
Use feed troughs in pasturesfor supplemental feeds
WATER
• Daily requirements:
Animal Gallons Range
Dairy Cow 20 (15-25)
Beef Cow-calf pair 15 (12-20)
Yearling bovine 10 (6-14)
Horse 10 (8-14)
Sheep or Goat 2 (2-3) • Goats do need water; may not drink a lot.
Water
• Public water system
• Well
• Pond
• Spring development
• May need to do periodic water tests for quality (NO4
-, SO4-, Fe, Ca, Cu,
toxins, etc.)