Kenneth E. Turner, Ph.D.

Research Animal Scientist

and Lead Scientist

USDA

Agricultural Research Service

Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center

Beaver, WV 25813

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100 Research Locations2100 Scientists1000 Research Projects22 National Programs

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USDAAgricultural Research Service

Appalachian Farming Systems Research CenterBeaver, WV

http://www.ars.usda.gov/naa/afsrc

Agricultural HistoryYear Total U.S. Population % Farmers

1790 3,929,214 90

1840 17,069,453 69

1860 31,443,321 58

1890 62,941,714 43

1900 75,994,266 38

1920 105,719,620 27

1950 151,132,000 12.2

1970 204,335,000 4.6

1980 227,020,000 3.4

1990 246,081,000 2.6

2000

2010

281,421,906

310,233 000

1.9

?

Livestock Nutrition

Beef Cattle(Angus crossbred)

Traditional Sheep(Suffolk crossbred)

Meat Goats (Boer crossbred)

Rumen

Reticulum

Omasum

Abomasum

SmallIntestines

Esophagus

Ruminant

Caecum

LargeIntestines

Grazers vs Browsers

• Cattle are grazers: 70% herbage 20% forbs and 10% browse

• Sheep are intermediate: 60% herbage 30% forbs

10% browse• Goats are browsers: 20 % herbage

20% forbs and 60% browse

• Substitute 5 sheep or 6 goats for 1 cow

Goats browsing black locust trees

Goat browsing (top to bottom)

Grazers vs. Browsers

• Horses are grazers: 90% herbage

4% forbs

6% browse

Grazing Pasture

• Manage pasture to supply adequate nutrition.• Goats select plant parts with highest nutritive

value.• Maintain pasture/browse area.• Reduce disease and control parasites.• Milk production response to supplementation

depends on pasture quality (Langston Univ. study) using wheat, clover, crabgrass, sudangrass, wheat/ryegrass.

Dairy Goats

• Dietary Protein Intake76% used for milk protein production14% used for milk lactose production10% used for milk butterfat production

• Breed DifferencesEuropean dairy goats 3.8% BFNubians higher BF

Acetate Palmitate Butterfat

Increasing Butterfat

• Don’t over feed supplement never > 50% diet.• Supplement to Forage Ratio approaches 2:1 (too

high).• Feed forage, then supplement 3 to 4 times during day

vs. supplement 2 times (only at milking time).• Good quality forage; low quality forage reduces BF

(feed buffers).• Dried brewer’s grains acetate BF.• Breed for high BF and milk production.• A few Nubians in flock add BF to tank.

Milk Protein

• Protein in milk ~ 3%

• Increasing grain or fat in diet does not increase milk protein.

• If diet low in protein, feeding protein (especially rumen escape protein) can increase milk protein.

Milk Urea NitrogenBlood Urea Nitrogen

• MUN ~8-16 mg/dl (BUN ~10-14 mg/dl).• MUN < 8-10 mg/dl; protein needed.• MUN > 16 mg/dl; overfeeding protein;

energy needed.• BUN > 19-20 mg/dl; overfeeding

protein Reproductive failure (decreased conception).

• Energy:Protein ratio; TDN:CP ratio

Maintain Pasture with High Nutritive Value

• As nutritive value (Energy and CP) of forage declines (especially CP) as plant matures.

• Animals become more susceptible to GI parasites:

Kids > Yearlings > Older Does

Lambs > Yearlings > Older Ewes

Definitions• Forages—edible parts of plants (not grain) that can be

grazed or mechanically harvested (herbages, forbs, and browse).

• Herbages—(grasses); usually, above-ground biomass of herbaceous (non-woody) plants other than grains; includes roots and tubers.

• Forbs—(Legumes, weeds, and herbs); any herbaceous broadleaf plant that is not a grass or not grass-like.

• Browse—leaf and twig growth of woody plants, vines, shrubs, brambles, trees, and other non-herbaceous plants.

Cool-season Grasses

• KY bluegrass

• Orchardgrass

• Smooth bromegrass

• Tall fescue (not recommended)

Warm-season Grasses

• Big bluestem

• Switchgrass

• Bermudagrass

• Indian grass

Legumes

• Alfalfa

• Birdsfoot trefoil

• Red clover

• Lespedeza (Perennial and Annual)

Others

Annual Grasses

• Oats

• Winter rye

• Winter wheat

Forbs

• Chicory

• Brassicas (turnip, kale, etc).

Feedstuff

Percent Energy

(TDN)

Percent Protein

(CP)

Orchardgrass Pasture 65 18

Clover Pasture 69 25

Mature Pasture 50 8

Honeysuckle 72 16

Grass Hay 58 12

Mixed Hay 50 15

Legume Hay 62 18

Poor Hay 50 8

Corn 89 10

Soybean Meal 88 44

Barley Grain 84 13.5

Complete Pellets 78 12-16

Table 1. Seasonal average of nutritive value parameters for Autumn Olive (AO), Multiflora Rose

(MFR), and Morrow’s Honeysuckle (HS) over the 1999 growing season.

Item AO MFR HS Sig. SE

Total N,% 4.24a 2.32b 2.67b *** 0.13

CP, % 26.5a 14.5b 16.7b *** 0.83

Total S, % 0.44a 0.20c 0.29b *** 0.03

N:S Ratio 10.2 12.4 10.8 NS 0.75

IVOMD, % 63.2b 67.0a,b 68.5a P=0.06 1.77

NDF, % 33.2a 27.7b 26.5b *** 1.03

ADF, % 20.2 17.5 18.0 NS 1.39

Forages

• Low nutritive value forage 40-50% TDN

• Good nutritive value forage 55-70% TDN

• Concentrate feeds 70-90% TDN

CP in Grasses(General)

• Leaves contain more CP than stems.

• WSG have more stems than leaves; thus CP may be lower.

• Application of nitrogen fertilizer (costs $$$) improves CP content.

• Maintaining swards in vegetative stage improves CP content.

CP in Legumes

• Legumes have higher CP than grasses

• Legumes– Alfalfa– White clover or Red clover– Lespedeza– Birdsfoot trefoil

Condensed Tannins in Ruminants

• Reduce bloat in ruminants• Increase “Rumen-escape Protein”• Enhance protein-use efficiency and immune

system via rumen escape-protein• Influence nitrogen cycle in the ruminant to reduce

nitrogen overloads and methane in the environment.

• Act as an anthelmintic (dewormer) to reduce fecal egg counts (FEC) in small ruminants.

BioActive Forages

• Lambs grazing Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) had lower FEC and GI nematodes than Ryegrass-White clover.

Marley et al. 2003.

Vet. Parasitol. 112:147-155.

Condensed tannins

Birdsfoot Trefoil(Lotus corniculatus L.)

BioActive Forages

• Goats grazing Sericea Lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) had lower FEC after 5 days; FEC rebounded when grazing non-tannin forages.

Min et al., 2004.

Small Ruminant Res. 51:279-283.

Condensed tannins

Sericea Lespedeza[Lespedeza cuneata (Dum.-Cours.) G. Don]

BioActive Forages

• Lambs grazing Chicory had fewer nematodes than Ryegrass-White Clover

Marley et al., 2003.

Vet. Parasitol. 112:147-155.

Sesquiterpene lactones

Condensed tannins

Forage Chicory Flower(Cichorium intybus L.)

Forage Chicory(Cichorium intybus L.)

March April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Rela

tive

Need

relative dry matter intake

relative forage availability

excess forage

insuffient forage

Wean &place on pasture

Market

Fig. 2. Relationship of critical gaps in seasonal perennial forage production to dry matter intake requirements of spring -kidded meat goats from weaning to market weight .

March April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Rela

tive

Need

relative dry matter intake

relative forage availability

excess forage

insuffient forage

Wean &place on pasture

Market

March April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Rela

tive

Need

relative dry matter intake

relative forage availability

excess forage

excess forage

insuffient forage

insuffient forage

Wean &place on pasture

Market

Fig. 2. Relationship of critical gaps in seasonal perennial forage production to dry matter intake requirements of spring -kidded meat goats from weaning to market weight .

Cool-season Forages

Periods of InsufficientCool-Season Herbage(Quantity and Quality)

Extending Grazing Season---What do I do???

• Warm-season grasses• Prairie Bromegrass• Use of brassicas in fall (turnips, rape, kale)• Stockpiled forages (requires N fertilizer)• Hay feeding $$$• Supplemental energy (corn) $$$ or by-product feeds:

distillers grains, brewers grains, corn gluten feeds—check

high sulfur (excess sulfates/PEM) and Ca:P (1:1 to 2:1) ratio (urolithiasis/urinary calculi)]

Allow:12 inches per lamb or kid15 inches per ewe or doe

Use feed troughs in pasturesfor supplemental feeds

WATER

• Daily requirements:

Animal Gallons Range

Dairy Cow 20 (15-25)

Beef Cow-calf pair 15 (12-20)

Yearling bovine 10 (6-14)

Horse 10 (8-14)

Sheep or Goat 2 (2-3) • Goats do need water; may not drink a lot.

Water

• Public water system

• Well

• Pond

• Spring development

• May need to do periodic water tests for quality (NO4

-, SO4-, Fe, Ca, Cu,

toxins, etc.)

http://www.ars.usda.gov/naa/afsrc