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Supplementation With Undegradable Intake Protein Increases Utilization Of Low-Quality Forage And Microbial Use Of Recycled Urea, T.A. Wickersham, R.C. Cochran, E.E. Wickersham, Evan C. Titgemeyer

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Low-quality forage utilization (intake and digestion) is improved by protein supplementation. Typically, the recommendation is to select supplements that are high in degradable intake protein because this fraction of the protein directly addresses the ruminal nitrogen deficiency that exists when low-quality forages are fed. However, the low cost of byproducts (e.g., distiller's grains) that are high in undegradable intake protein makes them an attractive source of supplemental protein even though the response per unit of supplemental protein is less for undegradable protein than for degradable protein. One of the primary barriers to utilizing highly undegradable protein sources as supplements is …