Milk Producer - May 2010 - (Page 34)

APPLIEDSCIENCE Zhiyuanhiyuan Niu, David. A. Christensen, Brian. G. Rossnagel and Peiqiang Yu Economical alternative A new grain variety bred in the Prairies exhibits promise for lowering feed costs as a barley or corn substitute M ove over corn and barley. A newly developed Prairie contender has shown potential as a primary feed grain in Canadian dairy rations. Cheaper to feed than the established grains, it could boost your milk production, too. University of Saskatchewan researchers at the Crop Development Centre developed this contender, a new variety of feed oat named CDC SO-I. Unique characteristics include higher oil content and a more digestible hull than conventional oat varieties. Higher oil content increases energy density for dairy rations, and hulls are more digestible in a cow’s rumen, providing more energy. According to Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food data, oat yields close to barley per acre, and is priced 10 to 20 per cent lower than feed barley. To reduce feed costs, including oat grain in dairy rations as a concentrate, SO-I would be a good alternative to corn and barley if oat-fed cows produced as much or more milk. Scientists have now conducted studies to shed light on how CDC SO-I affects cow performance when included as a concentrate in dairy rations to partially replace corn and barley. Results suggest it can prove more profitable than the other two grains. Oats cost less to grow than barley or corn and could boost production. Researchers evaluated nutrient degradability of CDC SO-I oat using the nylon bag technique. They incubated oat samples for 24 and 48 hours in the rumens of dry dairy cows housed in a freestall barn at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. The objective was to determine the effect of micronization on of CDC SO-I oat NDF 41.5 38.5 -3 ADF 32.6 34.4 1.8 Table 1. Effect of micronization on nutrient degradability In situ rumen degradability (%) Treatment DM CP Starch Raw oat 71.7 82.6 93.8 Micronized oat 72.8 73.3 98.3 Change +1.1 -9.3 + 4.5 degradability of dry matter, crude protein, starch and fibre in the oat. Micronization, a dry heat treatment, raises the internal kernel temperature of treated materials to between 90 and 100 degrees Celsius, typically for one minute. It is used primarily to modify the digestion patterns of nutrients in treated materials. Results showed micronization of CDC SO-I oat increased starch degradability, decreased soluble crude protein and crude protein degradability. It had no significant effect on dry matter (DM) degradability, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) or acid detergent fibre (ADF). Decreased crude protein degradability indicates micronized oat can provide more protein to a cow’s small intestine. This improves the efficiency of crude protein utilization in animals as shown in Table 1. Ration formulation programs such as CPM Dairy, a computer modeling system developed by U.S. universities, use this kind of information. To test its effectiveness and feasibility as a concentrate source for dairy rations, CDC SO-I oat—treated with micronization or untreated—were incorporated into dairy rations to partially replace corn and barley. The study included both corn and barleybased rations since they are the commonly used feed grains in Eastern and Western Canada. Replacing corn and barley with untreated CDC SO-I oat potentially increased yields of milk, fat-corrected milk and fat. Feeding micronized CDC SO-I did not further increase milk fat yield (kilograms per day) significantly. CDC SO-I grain had no significant effect on other milk 34 | May 2010 | MilkPRODUCER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Milk Producer - May 2010

Milk Producer - May 2010
Contents
Editor's Note
DFO Chair's Message
Provincial Perspectives
Dairy Update
National Policy
Farm Finance
Retailers Spotlight
DFC Promotion
The Future Arrives
Farm Business
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Markets
New 'N" Noted
Back Forty

Milk Producer - May 2010