Project Number: 6209-31630-002-23
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 01, 2007
End Date: Sep 30, 2010

Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative research project are to determine the value of dried distiller's grains as a protein supplement to cattle consuming low-quality forage, compared to more commonly used byproducts (i.e., cottonseed meal) by the effects on beef cow performance, forage intake, and nutrient digestion. To develop rapid and reliable methods to determine the nutritive value of wet and dried distiller's grains.

Approach:
Two studies will be conducted. In the first study 11 ruminally cannulated steers will be used in an 11 x 5 incomplete latin square with 11 treatments and five periods to determine the effect of increasing supplementation with either dried distiller's grain or cottonseed meal on intake and digestion of low-quality forage. Treatments will be an unsupplemented control and dried distiller's grains or cottonseed meal at 0.025, 0.050, 0.075, 0.10 or 0.125% of body weight as crude protein. Fecal output, ruminal characteristics (ammonia, volatile fatty acid concentrations), and plasma urea nitrogen will be measured. The quantity of distiller's grains that optimizes forage intake and digestion will be determined. In the second study, 80 beef cows will be used to evaluate the use of dried distiller's grains as a supplemental protein for low-quality forages. Cows will be assigned to one of four levels of distiller's grains 0.00, 0.04, 0.08 and 0.120% of body weight as crude protein. Changes in cow weight and body condition score will be determined at intervals before and after calving, until weaning. Calves will be weighed at birth and at weaning. We propose to use near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to rapidly and reliably determine nutritive value of distiller's grains.