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ON-1: Fibre digestibility
tests boost efficiency of beef cattle diets and may reduce greenhouse gas
emissions |
The Challenge.
To demonstrate the potential for the use of Neutral Detergent Fibre
digestibility (NDFd) to optimize efficiency of beef cattle diets and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Project Applicant.
Dr. Vern Osborne, Assistant Professor at the University of Guelph
Funding Allocation.
The Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Program (GHGMP) for Canadian Agriculture has
allocated $2.1 million for projects in the beef sector. The GHGMP has
contributed $50,000 towards this project over three years.
A new demonstration project has been launched to help Ontario beef
producers improve production efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions through better balanced feed rations.
“The quality of forage fed to beef cattle varies significantly and can
have a major impact on production efficiency,” says project leader Dr.
Vern Osborne of the University of Guelph. “We will work directly with
producers to analyse forage quality and develop recommendations for
improved feed rations. Understanding the digestibility of fibre and energy
helps determine what the best diet is for cattle.”
The two-year project is supported by the Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Program
for Canadian Agriculture (GHGMP), a federal program designed to promote
the awareness of agricultural practices that reduce or remove atmospheric
levels of greenhouse gas. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association administers
the delivery of the beef sector component of the program.
“Improved ration balancing is one of several beef production management
strategies with the potential to boost production efficiency,” says Pat
Walker, beef sector co-ordinator for the GHGMP. “The production efficiency
of having properly balanced feed rations could reduce greenhouse gas
emissions per pound of beef produced by 30 to 35 percent.”
The demonstration project will introduce an innovative method for testing
fibre digestibility. Chemical analysis of Neutral Detergent Fibre
digestibility (NDFd) is a measure of fibre fractions in plant cell walls.
Results of this test will help livestock producers balance feed rations
and predict an animal’s dry matter intake and performance.
New test for NDFd
Existing tests are available to measure NDFd, but the latest method is
more affordable and practical for producers. “Currently, we can only
estimate what the digestibility rate is and this leaves room for errors,”
says Osborne. “Rations developed from an estimate run the risk of being
skewed. But NDFd gives a much more accurate read of digestibility and dry
matter intake.”
Osborne will lead a team to determine appropriate feed rations based on
NDFd testing results. The team will organize 200 producers from the
cow/calf and beef feedlot sectors of Ontario. Over the 2003-2004 winter,
baseline feed samples will be collected and analyzed for forage quality
and NDFd measurements. Based on this research, an assessment of
winter-feeding management can be determined.
In phase two of the project, researchers will develop management
strategies, ration balancing and greenhouse gas reduction estimates. They
will select 12 feedlot producers and 12 cow-calf producers within a 150
kilometre radius of Guelph. The geographical selection will maximize the
resources of the project and ensure a representative cross selection of
beef producers in Ontario. These participants will have forage samples
collected three times a year between June and October of 2004. Changes in
forage quality and NDFd data will be noted.
Once the forage quality has been determined, recommendations for
re-balancing of feed rations will be provided to the participants over the
fall and winter of 2004 to 2005. Greenhouse gas emission reductions will
also be predicted at this stage of the project.
Demonstrating NDFd and creating awareness
As the goal of the GHMGP is to promote the awareness of beneficial
management practices with respect to greenhouse gas mitigation, the team
also plans to promote their project at various farm workshops and the
Ontario Forage Council seminars.
Information on the importance of using NDFd testing for ration balancing
will be presented at farm workshops, says Osborne, and results of the
on-farm component of the demonstration project will be available in beef
industry publications and at farm shows throughout Ontario.
NDFd testing has not been widely adopted in Ontario due to the limited
facilities offering this type of test, says Osborne. He adds that the test
is quite labour intensive as well. But despite these obstacles, NDFd
testing does provide producers with an accurate reading of forage quality
and digestibility.
The adoption of an improved NDFd testing method would also have potential
benefits in other ruminant animal sectors across Canada, such as the
dairy, sheep and goat industries. The opportunity to improve forage
management in these other livestock sectors will further reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. By expanding the project to include other livestock
sectors, approximately 50 percent more ruminant animals would be fed more
efficiently.
Innovation for the industry
Currently, the Ontario beef industry is a decade behind in adopting the
NDFd as a measurement tool, says Osborne. By using this method, the
Ontario beef industry will see nutritional efficiency improvements, which
leads to improved production efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas
emissions.
Results of this project will be beneficial for the entire beef industry.
Ontario producers will have an increased awareness of the importance of
winter feeding rations and a better understanding of the impact forage
quality has on animal performance. More efficient diets can be determined
based on the nutritional management data gathered, which will improve
production efficiency. By understanding the proper balance of rations,
producers can grow, harvest and process those feeds according to optimal
nutrient information.
The benefits of this project extend beyond the Ontario beef producer. The
feed industry and livestock nutritionists will have an improved database
of Ontario forages. By using newer equations to estimate forage quality,
they will also be able to develop improved estimates on animal performance. |
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© Canadian Cattlemen's
Association, 2004, |
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© Canadian Cattlemen's
Association, 2003,
CCA Calgary - #310, 6715 - 8th St. NE, Calgary, AB T2E 7H7, (403) 275-8558
Fax: (403) 274-5686
CCA Ottawa - #1403, 150 Metcalfe St., Ottawa, ON K2P 1P1, (613) 233-9375
Fax: (613) 233-2860 |
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