Forage plays an essential role in maintaining the quality of growth, health, and production of cattle. All forage-grasses have different nutritional values to determine their quality. So, it is important to know what examples of quality forage grasses can be used as cattle feed.
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Examples of Quality Forage Grasses
There are six examples of quality forage grasses that can be used as cattle feed. Here is the explanation of each.
1. Tall Fescue
Tall Fescue is a type of grass that grows well in cold climates. Therefore, it is usually used as the main feedstock for cattle in autumn and winter.
Generally, Tall Fescue’s nutritional value is higher than perennial ryegrass or phalaris. It contains about 7.5-25% crude protein, 60-80% DMD digestibility, and 8.5-11.5 MJ of metabolizable energy.
2. Orchardgrass
Orchardgrass is pretty much sought after because the leaves are nice, soft, and taste good. It is very suitable for cattle feed. If you want to produce it as forage, this grass thrives in the spring and grows moderately in the fall. You can also use this grass for short-term hay rotation, thinning KY-31 fescue pastures, and increasing overall pasture productivity.
Compared to Timothy grass, Orchardgrass contains higher protein from 10-12%. It also contains more balanced calcium and phosphorus.
3. Timothy
Timothy is a type of grass that grows well in cold climates. It is also very well adapted to any type of soil because it has a shallow fibrous root system.
This grass contains 7-11% crude protein and 0.38-0.51% calcium, and the stems can grow upright from 50 cm-1.3 m. It is important to remember that this grass must be mowed at the right time. Do not cut it before or after maturation because its nutritional value will deteriorate.
4. Ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is native to Asia, Europe, and North Africa. It grows very well in mild-temperate climates and is one of the highest quality forage grasses, especially for cattle and sheep feed.
Perennial ryegrass has better nutritional value than most other mid-temperate grassland species. It contains 18-20% DM crude protein, and the estimated metabolic energy (ME) per kilogram dry matter (DM) rarely falls below 10 MJ/kg DM for most of the year.
5. Bermuda Grass
Bermuda Grass is a perennial grass that grows very well in the warm season and responds well to fertility and humidity. Its main use is to meet the nutritional needs of cows during the growing season.
Bermuda Grass is generally of lower quality than other grass types. It contains about 10% crude protein, 75% NDF, and 36% ADF (DM basis). However, young vegetative Bermuda Grass or grass with good N fertilization has higher nutritional value.
6. Legumes
Alfalfa
Alfalfa grass is very suitable to be used for cattle feed because it is rich in nutrients. This type of legume grass contains 17-20% crude protein, 1.19-1.41% calcium and 0.98-1.13 mCal/lb. digestible energy. High nutrition is needed by cattle, especially young cattle.
Clover
This type of legume grass grows very well in warm climates. White clover has the highest nutritional value of other types of clover. It contains 17-33% protein (DM) or an average of about 23% crude protein. However, the crude protein content usually decreases from 25% to 20% DM in the vegetative and blooming stages for French white clover.
Fresh forage is indeed more nutritious, tasty, and cost-effective for ruminants. However, the amount of availability and quality of fresh forage is fluctuating. This can be more or less than required. Therefore, farmers generally make silage from green fodder so that they can have a stock of feed.
Silage Film
When making silage, you need a film for the fermentation process. The required film must have high resistance to weathering to maintain the nutritional value of the content and inhibit unwanted fermentation processes.
Currently, there are many manufacturers offering silage films. However, you should be careful in choosing. Choose only trusted silage film manufacturers, for example, Silopak.
Silopak is a trusted global silage film manufacturer from China that has been established in 2011. Its main products are silage film and bale net wrap. These products are available in many variations and sizes. So, you just have to choose which product suits your needs. As a leading brand in the world, this manufacturer is sure to offer high-quality products. For more information about products and how to order, contact us.