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Alfalfa with and without Concentrates for Milk Production^*

Departments of Dairy Husbandry and Agricultural Chemistry Oregon State College

ABSTRACT

Numerous investigators (1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 11, 15, 24, 25) have shown that milk and butterfat production on alfalfa hay alone varies from 50 to 85 per cent of that on alfalfa hay and grain rations, with the actual production depending upon the level of grain feeding and the producing ability of the cows. A high producing cow is incapable of consuming sufficient alfalfa hay to meet her energy requirements during the early part of the lactation period; but even in later lactation, when she is consuming adequate nutrients to meet her requirements as judged by the Morrison (22) feeding standard, a cow on alfalfa hay alone does not produce as well as expected from her "total digestible nutrient" intake. The lack of persistency in production suggests a deficiency of some nutrient or nutrients.

Alfalfa, in common with other roughages, is comparatively low in phosphorus. Haag and co-workers (8, 9), conducted metabolism trials with milk cows restricted to alfalfa hay alone and alfalfa hay supplemented with disodium phosphate or bone meal.

^* Published as Technical Paper No. 445 with the approval of the Director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.