More Milk from Grass 4 Increasing yield but decreasing feeding value. Feed Unit/Kg DM Digestibility, organic matter 1.1 85 84 1.05 83 1.0 82 0.95 81 80 0.9 79 0.85 78 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 Yield, kg DM/ha Figure 2. Development in grasses. A number of these parameters can be measured to determine if the forage quality is optimal. Consequently, forage analysis is an important tool for planning cattle feeding. Table 1 is a list of some of the key quality figures. For explanations, see vocabulary page 31. QUALITY PARAMETERS IN GRASSES HEIGHT OF GRASS, CM DIGESTIBILITY ORGANIC MATTER (DOM) % DIGESTIBLE PROTEIN, % CRUDE FIBRE, % NDF, % DIGESTIBLE NDF, % SUGAR, % Pasture grass 6–10 1) 70-80 16–18 < 20 < 40 > 70 Silage 20–30 65-75 14–17 < 27 < 50 > 70 1) 6-8 cm in a continuous stocking system and 6–10 cm in a paddock system. Table 1. Important key figures (content per kg dry matter) for optimal quality of fresh grass or silage. >8 > 3.5 A compromise between yield and feeding value always has to be made for silage. The higher the yield, the lower the quality and feed intake – and vice versa. When producing silage of high quality, an early cut is essential. The grass must be cut before heading takes place. Good and careful silage making is the key to high quality forage and high milk yield per cow. For grazing, the system must be managed well to ensure a “good bite”. The aim is to plan for a high and homogeneous quality (feed value). In a continuous stocking system, the height of grass in general must be kept at 6-8 cm in order to keep an even grass sward - in the spring it is 8 cm and autumn 6 cm. In a paddock system, the aim is to plan for high quality and high feed intake in particular. The grass height must be around 15 cm at the start of grazing and 6-8 cm when cows are moved to the next paddock. To ensure high quality, make sure fresh grass is available at all times. A maximum feed intake in the paddock system is required, and the cows must be
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