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Can A “Zero Land Use” Diet Maintain Milk Production Of Dairy Cows?, C. S. Takiya, C. M. Ylioja, A. Bennett, M. Davidson, B. J. Bradford
Can A “Zero Land Use” Diet Maintain Milk Production Of Dairy Cows?, C. S. Takiya, C. M. Ylioja, A. Bennett, M. Davidson, B. J. Bradford
Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports
Dairy cows can convert feeds unsuitable and unpalatable for humans into milk and play a key role in food security. Feed efficiency is usually calculated as the ratio between nutrients secreted in milk and nutrient intake, but this metric does not address concerns about human/livestock feed competition. This study aimed to evaluate whether cows fed a “zero land use” diet (diet that does not affect land used for production of human food), with or without rumen-protected amino acids, can maintain milk compared to a conventional lactation diet. Twelve second-lactation dairy cows were used in a 3×3 Latin square design experiment …
Spinning Straw Into Milk: Can An All- Byproduct Diet Support Milk Production?, M. Hulett, C. Ylioja, T. Wickersham, B. Bradford
Spinning Straw Into Milk: Can An All- Byproduct Diet Support Milk Production?, M. Hulett, C. Ylioja, T. Wickersham, B. Bradford
Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports
Ruminants are able to consume feeds that are unsuitable for humans and monogastric animals, and thus contribute to increased efficiency of our food systems. This study evaluated the performance of dairy cows consuming a diet comprised almost entirely of byproduct feeds, compared with cows consuming a typical lactation diet. The hypothesis was that the byproduct diet could support 80 lb/day of milk production. Although milk production and crude feed efficiency decreased compared to the typical diet, feed efficiency expressed as human-edible output per human-edible input increased for the byproduct diet. This study highlights the unique and important role played by …