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Teacher/General Public Materials ›
- What is forage? (PDF)
- Forage is good for the environment. (PDF)
- What do cows eat? (PDF)
- How do cows make milk? (PDF)
- Rumen microbes: A cow's best friend. (PDF)
- Dairy nutrition ›
- Grazing ›
- Nutrient (manure) managment ›
- Abating ammonia emmissions from dairy barns and fields (PDF)
- Easy does it with manure on alfalfa and grass—What to do and what to avoid when applying manure to perennial forages (PDF)
- Ammonia emmissions from dairy cattle: What we know, what we can do. 3 (PDF)
- Manure Copper Up, Phosphorus Down. (PDF)
- When is the best time to apply manure to forages? (PDF)
- Is your dairy farm out of nutrient balance? (PDF)
- Silage ›
- Coming soon!
- Forage legumes ›
- Cropping systems and harvest ›
Teacher/General Public
- What is forage? (PDF)
- A three-page educational handout describing the various types of forage.
- Forage is good for the environment. (PDF)
- A two-page educational handout describing the environmental benefits of forage crops.
- What do cows eat? (PDF)
- A three-page educational handout describing the what and amount cows eat and a brief description of rumens.
- How do cows make milk? (PDF)
- A four-page educational handout broadly describing the digestion route in cows that leads to milk production.
- Rumen microbes: A cow's best friend. (PDF)
- Coming soon!
Dairy & Forage Production
Dairy nutrition
- Rumen microbes: Take a look at those interesting creatures that both work for and feed dairy cattle (PDF)
- A two-page FactSheet describing the function of rumen microbes in cows.
- Manure Evaluation as a Diagnostic Tool for Feeding Programs (PDF)
- A PowerPoint presentation about evaluating manure in conjunction with other evaluation criteria as a tool to diagnose rumen function and feed digestion.
Grazing
- A quick lesson in plant structure, growth and regrowth for pasture-based dairy systems (PDF)
- A two-page FactSheet describing basic plant physiology and relationship between grazing regrowth of pastures.
- Increasing Persistence in Pasture Legumes: Red Clover, Kura Clover, Birdsfoot Trefoil (PDF)
- A two-page FactSheet highlighting research to improve the persistence of forage legumes in pastures.
- Basic plant physiology for grazing (PDF)
- A PowerPoint presentation explaining basic plant physiology for grazing.
Nutrient (manure) management
- Abating ammonia emmissions from dairy barns and fields (PDF)
- A two-page FactSheet discussing how to reduce dairy farm ammonia emmissions.
- Easy does it with manure on alfalfa and grass—What to do and what to avoid when applying manure to perennial forages (PDF)
- A four-page FactSheet discussing different aspects of applying manure to grasses and alfalfa.
- Ammonia emmissions from dairy cattle: What we know, what we can do. (PDF)
- A PowerPoint presentation discussing issues of dairy farm ammonia emmissions and solutions to these issues.
- Manure Copper Up, Phosphorus Down. (PDF)
- A one-page handout discussing the decrease in phosphorous content but rise in copper content of manure over a 10-year period.
- When is the best time to apply manure to forages (PDF)
- A one-page handout discussing when to apply manure to forages.
- Is your dairy farm out of nutrient balance? (PDF)
- A one-page handout listing four ways to improve nutrient management on dairy farms.
Silage
- Coming soon!
Forage legumes
- Redesigning alfalfa: Can we reduce protein loss in alfalfa by introducing traits from red clover? (PDF)
- A two-page FactSheet discussing ways to introduce traits from red clover to reduce protein degradation in alfalfa silage.
- Increasing Persistence in Pasture Legumes: Red Clover, Kura Clover, Birdsfoot Trefoil (PDF)
- A two-page FactSheet highlighting research to improve the persistence of forage legumes in pastures.
- Alfalfa Yield and Quality Relationships Within Individual Harvests (PDF)
- A PowerPoint presentation describing a study that comapred alfalfa yield and quality relationships within individual harvests.
Cropping systems and harvest
- Easy does it with manure on alfalfa and grass—What to do and what to avoid when applying manure to perennial forages (PDF)
- A four-page FactSheet discussing different aspects of applying manure to grasses and alfalfa.
- Measuring the trade-off between: Alfalfa yield and quality across four harvest periods (PDF)
- A two-page FactSheet discussing the results of a 2005 study of alfalfa yield versus quality for four harvest periods.
- When is the best time to apply manure to forages? (PDF)
- A one-page handout discussing when to and not to apply manure to fields.
Bioenergy and Value-added Products
- How is a cow like an ethanol production plant? (PDF)
- A one-page handout explaining how both cows and ethanol plants use fermentation to convert one form of energy to another.
- Adding an alfalfa rotation with corn for ethanol improves energy efficiency, reduces environmental impact (PDF)
- A four-page handout comparing three cropping systems for biomass production.
- Providing a unique and essential contribution to bioenergy research and byproduct utilization (PDF)
- A two-page FactSheet describing how USDFRC research in forage digestibility can easily be applied to bioenergy research.
Rumen Microbes & Function
- Ruminations—Questions & Answers and other thoughts on the role of rumen microbes in dairy cattle (PDF)
- A 23-page book discussing rumen microbes in a question-and-answer format.
