Term
| some things adequate animal nutrition is essential for |
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Definition
-high rates of gain
-ample milk production
-efficient reproduction
-adequate profits |
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Term
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Definition
| it can be defined as the extent to which a forage has the potential to produce a desired animal response |
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Term
| some factors that influence forage quality |
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Definition
-palatability
-intake
-digestibility
-nutrient content
-anti-quality factors
-animal performance |
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Term
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Definition
Will the animals eat the forage?
Animals select one forage over another based on smell, feel, and taste. Palatability may therefore be influenced by texture, leafiness, fertilization, dung or urine patches, moisture content, pest infestation, or compounds that cause a forage to taste sweet, sour, or salty. High-quality forages are generally highly palatable. |
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Term
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Definition
How much will they eat?
Animals must consume adequate quantities of forage to perform well.Typically, the higher the palatability and forage quality, the higher the intake. |
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Term
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Definition
How much of the forage will be digested?
Digestibility (the extent to which forage is absorbed as it passes through an animal’s digestive tract) varies greatly. Immature, leafy plant tissues may be 80 to 90% digested, while less than 50% of mature, stemmy material is digested. |
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Term
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Definition
Once digested, will the forage provide an adequate level of nutrients? Living forage plants usually contain 70 to 90% water.To standardize analyses, forage yield and nutrient content are usually expressed on a dry matter (DM) basis. Forage dry matter can be divided into two main categories:
(1) cell contents (the non-structural parts of the plant tissue such as protein, sugar, and starch); and
(2) structural components of the cell wall (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin). |
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Term
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Definition
| Various compounds may be present in forage that can lower animal performance, cause sickness, or even result in death. Such compounds include tannins, nitrates, alkaloids, cyanoglycosides, estrogens, and mycotoxins. The presence and/or severity of these elements depend on the plant species present (including weeds), time of year, environmental conditions, and animal sensitivity. High-quality forages must not contain harmful levels of anti-quality components. |
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Term
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Definition
| the ultimate test of forage quality, especially when forages are fed alone and free choice. Forage quality encompasses “nutritive value” (the potential for supplying nutrients, i.e., digestibility and nutrient content), how much animals will consume, and any anti-quality factors present. Animal performance can be influenced by any of several factors associated with either the plants or the animals (figure 1). Failure to give proper consideration to any of these factors may reduce an animal’s performance level, which in turn reduces potential income. |
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Term
| the ultimate test of forage quality |
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Definition
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Term
| the most important factors influencing forage quality |
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Definition
-forage species
-stage of maturity at harvest
-(for stored forages) harvesting and storage methods |
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Term
| secondary factors that influence forage quality |
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Definition
-soil fertility and fertilization
-temperatures during forage growth
-variety |
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Term
| the type of forage that produces better quality and why |
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Definition
| Legumes generally produce higher quality forage than grasses.This is because legumes usually have less fiber and favor higher intake than grasses. |
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Term
| One of the most significant benefits of growing legumes with grasses |
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Definition
| improvement of forage quality |
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Term
| some differences between cool and warm season grasses in terms of quality |
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Definition
Cool-season species are generally higher in quality than warm-season grasses.
The digestibility of cool-season grass species averages about 9% higher than warm-season grasses.
Minimum crude protein levels found in warm-season grasses are also lower than those found in cool-season grasses.
Due to differences in leaf anatomy (tissue arrangement or structure),warm-season grasses convert sunlight into forage more efficiently than cool-season grasses, but their leaves contain a higher proportion of highly lignified, less digestible tissues. |
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Term
| how temperature affects forage quality |
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Definition
| Plants grown at high temperatures generally produce lower quality forage than plants grown under cooler temperatures, and cool-season species grow most during the cooler months of the year. |
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Term
| the most important factor determining forage quality of a given species |
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Definition
| Maturity stage at harvest |
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Term
| what happens to intake potential and NDF c'tration as plants age? |
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Definition
| Intake potential decreases and NDF concentration increases as plants age. This is because NDF is more difficult to digest than the non-fiber components of forage. |
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Term
| why digestion slows dramatically as forage becomes more mature |
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Definition
| because the rate at which fiber is digested slows as plants mature |
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Term
| how leaf-to-stem ratio is related to forage quality |
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Definition
| Reduced leaf-to-stem ratio is a major cause of the decline in forage quality with maturity, and also the loss in quality that occurs under adverse hay curing conditions. Leaves are higher in quality than stems, and the proportion of leaves in forage declines as the plant matures. |
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Term
| how reproductive growth affects forage quality |
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Definition
| Reproductive growth lowers leaf-to-stem ratio, and thus forage quality. |
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Term
| what most cool-season grasses require for flowering |
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Definition
| a period of cool temperatures (vernalization) |
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Term
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Definition
| a period of cool temperatures |
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Term
| when most cool-season grasses produce reproductive stems and why |
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Definition
| spring because they require vernalization for flowering |
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Term
| why the forage quality of regrowth of cool-season grasses is greater and changes less over time |
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Definition
| because they have higher leaf-to-stem ratios than first-growth forage |
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Term
| why the forage quality of legumes and some grasses, such as Bermudagrass, are less closely linked to season than cool-season grasses |
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Definition
| because they flower several times per season |
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Term
| something N fertilization does for forage quality |
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Definition
| Fertilization of grasses with nitrogen (N) often substantially increases yield and also generally increases CP levels in the forage. |
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Term
| why soluble sugars are lowest in the morning and highest after a day of bright sunshine |
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Definition
| because plants accumulate soluble carbohydrates during daylight and then use them overnight |
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Term
| some problems that can occur with forages after harvest |
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Definition
| Leaf shatter, plant respiration, and leaching by rainfall during field drying of hay can significantly reduce forage quality, particularly with legumes. |
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Term
| something bad that rainfall can do to legumes after harvest |
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Definition
| Rainfall during curing damages legume leaves most. |
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Term
| some other things that can reduce forage quality after harvest |
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Definition
| Quality losses also occur due to weathering, plant respiration, and microbial activity during storage. |
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Term
| some things to consider when evaluating hay |
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Definition
-plant species
-maturity
-leafiness
-texture
-color
-odor
-dusty
-foreign matter |
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Term
| why leafiness of hay is important |
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Definition
| because the higher the leaf content, the higher the forage quality |
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Term
| things that can affect leafiness of hay |
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Definition
| Leafiness can be affected by plant species, by stage of maturity at harvest, and (especially in legume hays) by handling that results in leaf loss. |
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Term
| some things that can make hay lose its bright green color |
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Definition
-leaching
-mold growth that causes bleaching
-Baling at moisture contents at or above 20 to 25% may cause high bale temperatures that result in tan to brown or black colors (commonly called “tobacco hay”). |
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Term
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Definition
| The presence or absence of molds, dust, and odor |
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Term
| something dead animals can do to ruin a bale of forage |
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Definition
| Dead animals in hay can cause botulism, a deadly disease that can kill farm animals. |
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Term
| how to properly sample hay |
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Definition
-use a good probe
-sample at random
-take enough core subsamples
-use proper technique
-handle samples correctly
-split samples correctly |
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Term
| this is required to provide the information needed to formulate animal rations. |
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Definition
| Accurate laboratory testing of feed and forage |
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Term
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Definition
| the portion (weight) of forage other than water. |
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Term
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Definition
| Acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) are frequently used as standard forage testing techniques for fiber analysis. NDF approximates the total cell wall constituents including hemicellulose, whereas ADF primarily represents cellulose and lignin. ADF is often used to calculate digestibility, and NDF is used to predict intake potential. |
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Term
| what acid detergent fiber (ADF) is used for in detergent fiber analysis |
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Definition
| ADF primarily represents cellulose and lignin |
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Term
| what neutral detergent fiber (NDF) is used for in detergent fiber analysis |
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Definition
| NDF approximates the total cell wall constituents including hemicellulose |
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Term
| fiber content vs. forage quality |
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Definition
| As fiber increases, forage quality declines. |
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Term
| how protein is measured in lab analytical techniques |
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Definition
| It is commonly measured as crude protein (CP), which is 6.25 times the nitrogen content of forage. |
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Term
| why crude protein is used when analyzing animal feed |
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Definition
| because rumen microbes can convert non-protein nitrogen to microbial protein, which can then be used by the animal. |
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Term
| when the crude protein (CP) value is not applicable |
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Definition
| should be used with some care, as it is not applicable to non-ruminants or when high levels of nitrate are present in the forage. |
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Term
| Acid detergent insoluble crude protein (ADICP) |
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Definition
| This estimates the nitrogen that has low digestibility in the rumen and the intestine. It is important for determining the value of heat-damaged hay and silage. A little ADIN is good because it increases bypass protein, but too much may reduce total protein availability. |
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Term
| Voluntary intake, a prime consideration in feeding, is often estimated based on... |
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Definition
| neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content. |
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Term
| The accuracy of forage analysis depends on... |
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Definition
| the analytical procedures used and the precision of laboratory techniques. |
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Term
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Definition
| A lot is defined as forage taken from the same farm, field, and cut under uniform conditions within a 48-hour time period. |
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Term
| some factors of forage that determine animal performance |
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Definition
-feed availability
-feed nutrient content
-intake
-extent of digestion
-metabolism of the feed digested
especially availability and inteke |
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Term
| the most limiting factor of nutritive content of a forage |
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Definition
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Term
| why nutrient requirements increase during the last third of pregnancy |
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Definition
-rapidly increasing fetal weight
-the need to store fat during pregnancy that will be used to meet the high-energy demand of early lactation |
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Term
| this places the greatest nutrient demand on animals |
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Definition
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Term
| what too much fiber does to lactating dairy animals |
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Definition
| lowers energy density and limits intake, resulting in low milk production |
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Term
| what too little fiber does to lactating dairy animals |
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Definition
| too little fiber reduces production of fat-corrected milk, increases fattening of the female, and increases incidence of digestive and metabolic disorders |
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Term
| In most cases, this determines the productivity of an animal. |
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Definition
| the intake potential and digestible energy content of the forage |
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Term
| why grazing management can be extremely important |
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Definition
| to prevent overgrazing and undergrazing |
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Term
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Definition
| reduces forage growth and may thin forage stands |
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Term
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Definition
| lowers overall forage quality and increases forage waste |
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Term
| the stage of growth where most hay should be harvested |
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Definition
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Term
| the stage of growth where most hay actually is harvested |
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Definition
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Term
| thestage of growth where forage quality tends to be highest |
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Definition
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Term
| Factors having the greatest impact on forage quality |
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Definition
| forage species, stage of maturity at harvest, and (if forage is mechanically harvested) harvesting and storage techniques. |
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Term
| Knowing this is necessary to formulate rations that result in desired animal performance. |
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Definition
| forage quality and animal nutritional needs |
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Term
| which part of the forage plant is highest in quality: leaves or stems? |
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Definition
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Term
| which leaves are higher in quality: green or dead? |
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Definition
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Term
| Rain during field drying damages ______ hay more than ______ hay. |
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Definition
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Term
| moisture of hay vs. damage caused by rain |
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Definition
| the dryer the hay when rain occurs, the greater the damage |
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Term
| does delayed harvest result in quality loss in forage? |
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Definition
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Term
| what fertilizing with N does to grasses and forages |
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Definition
| Fertilizing with nitrogen generally increases the crude protein level of grasses, but fertilization usually has little or no effect on the digestible energy of forage. |
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Term
| the effect of fertilization on the digestible energy of forage |
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Definition
| fertilization usually has little or no effect on the digestible energy of forage |
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Term
| why the technique used to sample forages is extremely important |
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Definition
| because a laboratory analysis uses only a few grams of material to represent tons of forage |
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Term
| why results on a forage test report vary somewhat |
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Definition
| because of differences within a hay lot (or other feed material sampled), sampling technique, and laboratory procedures |
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Term
| how the maturity of a forage affects its digestibility |
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Definition
| The more mature and fibrous (lower in quality) a forage, the longer it takes to be digested and the less an animal will consume. |
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Term
| some things that often cause major losses in forage quality |
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Definition
| poor storage and feeding techniques |
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Term
| good animal performance results when |
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Definition
| animals consume forage that is suitably high in nutrients and low in fiber |
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