M.R. Stokes

TL;DR: The two silage additives were antagonistic when combined and did not improve silage fermentation, nutritional value, or animal performance, and enzyme degradation of forage structural carbohydrates was reduced, and inoculation also reduced silage aerobic stability.

TL;DR: Treated haycrop silage increased DMI:BW ratio and daily production of milk, milk protein, and SNF of early lactation cows and application of the experimental mixture to corn silage did not change silage fermentation or composition, except that the concentration of NH3 was reduced.

TL;DR: Resting salivation rate and volume produced while resting were greater at wk 8 than wk 4 of lactation even when corrected to constant dry matter intake, indicating that adaptation to diet postpartum involved increased basal resting salivation rates.

TL;DR: The decision to utilize particular forages in support of dairy production should be based on a number of key factors, such as available land base, type of manure management, soil type and topography, climate, and availability of purchased forages and feeds.

TL;DR: The diet with more total nonstructural carbohydrate was associated with greater dry matter intake as a percentage of body weight and greater yields of milk and solids-not-fat and the metabolizable energy of this diet was used more efficiently for the combined functions of maintenance and production.