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Comparison of Alfalfa-Orchardgrass and Sorghum-Sudangrass Hybrid Low-Moistured Silages with Corn Silage for Lactating Dairy Cattle

Department of Dairying, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37901

ABSTRACT

In two successive years 24 cows were used to compare the feeding value of three silages: low-moisture alfalfa-orchardgrass, low-moisture sorghum-sudangrass hybrid (Lindsey 77F), and corn. The switchback trial had three 28-day periods with individual feeding of silage ad libitum as the only source of forage and an 18% crude protein grain mixture at 1 kg per 4 kg of 4% fat-corrected milk.

In both years cows consuming alfalfa-orchardgrass low-moisture silage produced more milk than cows fed either low moisture sorghum-sudangrass or corn silage. Dry matter intake was significantly (P < 0.05) higher for cows fed alfalfa-orchardgrass. The dry matter intake and milk production for cows fed low-moisture sorghum-sudangrass silage was closely related to the stage of maturity at harvest.