New Mexico Dairy Herd Improvement, April, 1961

              Coopelativ. Extension
OCT 0 ~ 1961
New M.xico Stat. U~niver,­ity
ATE
u;"v
April, 1961
PROGRESS m FORAGE USE AT NEW MEXICO STATE UNlVERSI'lY
A sound forage feeding program which is based on the liberal feeding of
good-qualit.y roughage is one of t.he essent.iala of successful dairying.
W<il-bred dairy cowe IIlUSt. be well-fed if they are to come close to their
milk-producing potential.
For a number of years t.he New Mexico St.at.e University Dairy Department.
has conduct.ed a series of research projects on forage production and
ut.ilization. Alfalfa and ladino clover ",ere past.ured in pure stands
and in combination with al ta fescue. lhen green-chopped alfal fa was
fed in comparison with grazed alfalfa and with alfalfa silage.
frOm the standpoint of cost-of-production, grazing proved much more
economical t.han either green-chopping or silage.
Both grazing and green-chopping have one serious disadvantage. Heavy
rain may make it impoS9ible t.o harvest by eit.her method, Until the
fields dry up sufficiently. dry lot feeding must be substit.ut.ed for
the green forage. The drop in milk production from this sudden change
in the feeding program may be I:ostly bCl:/:Iuse the I:OWS aeldom reach
former production levels after such a change. Then. at the end of the
growing season, when green forage is no longer available. the change­over
to dry lot fe2ding usually brings on another serious slump in pro­dUl:
tion. During one season this drop amounted [0 nearly 20 percent. in
the Universit.y herd during the month of September.
In order to avoid these seasonal fluctuations in milk production, a
year-round alfalfa silage feeding program was inithted in 1959. Fresh
chopped alfalfa was ensiled with 200 pounds of ground milo or ground
barley per ton of grcen forage. The resulting silage is of eXl:ellent
quality and highly palatable. Feeding this silage to the herd on a
year-round basis haa practically eliminated the sharp drops in milk
production \oIhlch were COlimOn before this program was st.arted.
Sinl:e the year.round aUage feeding program was initiated, the overall
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