Feeding fantastic forage: Optimizing your grass-fed dairy production

When your grass-fed dairy dials in their foraging programs, the results can be surprising. Don Burkard, a cow forage expert with Cows Come First, discussed how feeding a few premium grasses, alfalfa and corn silage to Bessie the right way can make a world of difference for her and your farm.

Top-Notch Grasses

Annual grasses can benefit you and your animals year after year. Not only do they stick around, they play a big part in increasing your soil’s organic matter – which leads to improved soil diversity and health. Having a thriving ecosystem of microbes, bugs, worms and fungi in the soil trickles up directly into your cows and their milk production.

Annual grasses and the premium organic matter they provide takes your soil’s health and water-holding capacity to another level, making your field more drought resistant. Acquiring the right type of annual grasses means a free, homegrown source of digestible fiber for a happier, healthier herd too.

One of the best grasses recommended by experts is Italian ryegrass. With wide, deep green blades and a waxy luster, this variety is not only built for high yield due to its fast-growing nature, it’s a great summer annual perfect for the climate of New York State – and a grass cows love.

Burkard said other excellent summer annuals include sorghum/sudangrass, sudangrass and teff.

Triticale, a cross between wheat and rye, is another favorite of cows and farmers. It’s cold-hardy with great disease resistance (like rye) while producing high yield and quality (like wheat). With all the best traits of both parent grains, it is an excellent cover crop and is the best option for a quality winter annual followed by rye and wheat.

Using both Italian ryegrass and triticale in your system is highly recommended by annual foraging experts. Other good cool season forage options to consider include oats, peas (cows love peas) and spring triticale.

Alfalfa

Descending from the Arabic phrase “al-fisfisa” or “best fodder,” alfalfa still lives up to its name. It is one of the best non-grasses to incorporate into your forage program. High protein, high soluble fiber and protein and the fact that it lasts year after year makes it indispensable for productive grass-fed operations. It also helps fix nitrogen in your soil to benefit the other plants in your program. It creates a healthy and natural symbiotic relationship that needs to be cultivated (pun intended).

The complex relationship between alfalfa and fiber is fascinating to say the least, which brings us to our next topic.

NDFs & uNDFs

All the fiber your cows are eating has to be digested somehow. That’s why they have all those stomachs and chew their cud. What’s left undigested is usually considered a loss if it’s above a certain amount measured by neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and undigested neutral detergent fiber (uNDF). Experts recommend a few dietary changes for higher NDF, which is needed for optimal cow health and performance.

Alfalfa has a large amount of uNDF which you might think at first is a loss. But its highly digestible NDF content and faster passage rates help your cows clear their rumen quicker and actually increase the intake of feed. Balancing your premium grasses with alfalfa (especially more digestible low-lignin alfalfa) can also help prevent bloating by improving the function of your cows’ rumens.

Corn Silage

Sixty percent forage is a minimum for milk production. With this as a rule of thumb, a simple thing like decreasing the chop length of your silage to about half an inch or less can make a big difference. It creates a more uniform feed that helps improve milk yield and enhances nutrient utilization through improved fermentation. It’s an easy way to boost your cows’ intake and rumen health through better digestion.

It’s worth noting there is a large margin of acceptability. However, if you’re feeding as low as 35% or less forage, you need to chop longer or you’ll have a lot of sad cows. Beware of overly fine particles too – these can lead to problems and “shredlage” is not recommended.

Speaking of rumen, increasing rumen degradable protein (RDP) is another important part of a higher NDF diet. This allows more fiber to be broken down properly and utilized by your cows. Urea is a cost-effective way to boost soluble protein to help feed the microbes in your cows’ guts, digest all that fiber they’re eating and keep uNDF losses down.

Every day, science and experience are proving that cows give more and better-quality milk when they have access not only to what they need but also what they like. Grass-fed dairies are growing by leaps and bounds as they invest in the best for their bovine business partners.

For more information, reach out to Burkard with Cows Come First at 585.721.7280 or donbur59@aol.com. Don Olson at forageinnovations.guru is another great resource.

by Joseph Armstrong