Evaluating Corn Silage
To maintain profitability with rising feed grain prices, feedlots are required to consider alternatives to purchased grains. Traditionally forages are avoided because of their higher fiber content and lower energy content which leads to lower feed conversion efficiency and increased manure production. The highly variable energy content of corn silage makes it challenging to maintain animal growth rate when cattle are fed higher forage diets.
Research currently underway and funded by the National Check-off and Canada’s Beef Science Cluster is working to obtain basic information on how genotype, growing location, and year influence corn silage yield, chemical composition, and nutritive value (in vitro digestibility). This research will provide much needed information about the economic potential of incorporating high energy corn silage into feedlot rations.
To learn more about this research, see the BCRC fact sheet.
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