The Milk Producer - January 2010 - (Page 32)

´ RESEARCH By Joey Sabljic Timing is everything Environmentally-friendly grazing techniques proposed for optimal cow nutrition M onitoring excess nitrogen in plant composition and cow grazing They found the cows’ plasma urea your cows’ diet, including behaviour to improve a cow’s nutri- nitrogen decreased with afternoon their grazing patterns, is an ent use. They are evaluating mixed- grazing, suggesting ammonia abimportant part of nutrition manage- forage grazing strips. During the day, sorbed through the rumen wall ment. More accurate feeding can help when the sun is at its brightest, the decreased. However, more research is reduce nitrogen excretion on your grasses in these strips naturally accu- needed to make a final conclusion. farm. mulate nonstructural carbohydrates. “In finding the best time to graze, Dr. Gaston Raggio, director of the At dusk, however, the grasses use we want to give dairy farmers simple University of Guelph’s Organic Dairy these sugars to grow. tools that will help reduce the nitroResearch Centre, Alfred Campus, The researchers designed two grazgen present on their farms and notes cows grazing after afternoon ing patches. One strip was given to improve the overall health and promilking get more nonstructural carcows after morning milking and one duction of the cow,” says Raggio. bohydrates or sugars in their diet. after afternoon milking. The reThe researchers also plan to invesThis can improve the protein-energy searchers then examined what effect tigate the effect plants high in conbalance and increase ruminal effi- the grasses’ composition and sugar densed tannins have on organic dairy ciency. content had on the cows’ grazing patfarm pastures. Tannins have been Getting a herd’s grazing patterns in terns, nitrogen utilization, feed intake, found to reduce protein breakdown sync with grasses higher in nonstruc- and milk production and composition. in rumen fermentation. tural carbohydrates can be Condensed tannins and challenging, says Raggio. nonstructural carbohydra“Our preliminary results tes in forages may help show cows haven’t been increase dairy cow nitroresponding to pasture algen utilization, as well as location timing as we reduce urinary nitrogen expected,” he says. excretion and volatile niExcess ammonia from trogen losses after mathe rumen leads to the nure application. liver producing urea excreted in the urine. Raggio hopes integrating pasture Joey Sabljic is a student ´ writer with the University allocation with daily inof Guelph’s office of creases in the pasture’s research. Also involved in nonstructural carbohydrathe study is Dr. Robert tes will result in less exBerthiaume, Agriculture creted urea. Higher urinaand Agri-Food Canada, ry urea levels are the bigLennoxville, Que. Funding gest source of ammonia for Raggio’s study is proexcreted into the environvided by the Ontario ment by dairy cattle. Ministry of Agriculture, Raggio and his research Researchers hope to improve a cow’s protein-energy Food and Rural Affairs. team are trying to match balance with proper grazing at right time of day. 32 | January 2010 | MilkPRODUCER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - January 2010

The Milk Producer - January 2010
Editor's Note
DFO Vice-Chair's Message
Contents
Dairy Update
Farm Finance
Processor Spotlight
DFC Promotion
Victory Over Johne’s
Applied Science
Research
Ruminations
Farm Energy
Markets
New 'N' Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - January 2010