TITLE:
Evaluation of grain corn grown in New Brunswick for dairy cows
AUTHORS:
Essi H. Evans, Nancy Clark, Josh Lamont, David Walker
KEYWORDS:
Corn; In Sacco Digestibility; Digestion Rates; Diet Digestibility
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.3 No.1,
January
29,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Corn harvested as
grain is a relatively new crop for the province of New Brunswick. The recent
availability of local corn has the potential to improve the sustainability of
the dairy industry in New Brunswick, but there is debate within the industry
concerning the value and best use of the
grain. This experiment was conducted to assess the feeding value of locally-produced
corn grain stored as dry grain, ensiled high moisture corn, or ensiled as high
moisture corncob meal (HMCCM, unhusked ears sometimes referred to as snaplage)
relative to dry grain obtained from Ontario. Three samples of each were
evaluated In Sacco. Rates and extent
of digestion were similar for local and Ontario corn regardless of presentation for crude protein and starch, but
acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber and dry matter digestibility values were lower for HMCCM than other treatments. A 4 × 4 Latin square study was conducted with 16
Holstein cows and 28 day feeding periods. Milk production and milk protein production
were higher (P