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This research project entitled "Influence of Ruminal Starch Degradability on Performance of High Producing Dairy Cows" had the following objectives: a) Determine effects of feeding varying amounts of ruminally degradable starch (RDS) on efficiency of milk and milk protein production; and 2) Investigate digestive and metabolic mechanisms relating to lactation responses to diets varying in ruminal and total starch degradability. Four lactation studies with high producing cows were conducted in which steam-flaked (~ 75% RDS) was compared with dry-rolled sorghum (~ 50% RDS) grain. All studies demonstrated increased efficiency of conversion of feed to milk (FCM/DMI) and milk protein as amount of RDS in the diet increased by feeding steam-flaked sorghum. As RDS in diets increased, either by increased steam-flaked sorghum, grinding of sorghum, or increasing the proportion of wheat to sorghum, so also did ruminal and total tract digestibilities of starch and neutral-detergent soluble (NDS) carbohydrate. Despite other research by these two groups of workers showing increased non-ammonia N (NAN) flowing from the rumen to the duodenum with higher RDS, only one of the present studies showed such an effect. Post-absorptive studies showed that higher dietary RDS resulted in greater urea recycling, more propionate absorption, a tendency for greater output of glucose by the liver, and increased uptake of alpha-amino nitrogen by the mammary gland. These studies have shown that processing sorghum grain through steam-flaking increases RDS and results in greater yields and efficiency of production of milk and milk protein in high producing dairy cows. |
