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Van De Kerckhove, A. Y., Lardner, H. A., Yu, P., McKinnon J. J. and Walburger, K. 2011. Effect of dried distillers' grain, soybean meal and grain or canola meal and grain-based supplements on forage intake and digestibility. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 91: 123–132. Four ruminally cannulated beef heifers (72 wk of age) were individually fed a basal ration of 75% ground barley straw and 25% ground bromegrass hay [total digestible nutrients=46.3, crude protein (CP)=7.5 (% dry matter (DM))]. Heifers were supplemented with either (1) no supplement (CONT); (2) dried distillers' grains plus solubles [70:30 wheat:corn blend; dried distillers' grains plus solubles (DDGS)]; (3) commercial range pellet (COMM); or (4) barley grain and canola meal (BAR+CM). Forage intake, apparent total tract digestibility, passage rate, rate and extent of forage degradation, rumen pH and rumen ammonia nitrogen were measured. Forage intake, passage rate, and apparent total tract digestibility of DM, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber were unaffected (P>0.41) by treatment. Apparent total tract digestibility of CP was increased (P=0.02) with supplements as compared with CONT, but did not differ (P>0.05) among DDGS, COMM, and BAR+CM. Ruminal pH was not affected (P=0.20) by treatment, but rumen ammonia-N was increased (P<0.01) with all three supplements. Potentially degradable and undegradable forage fractions were decreased (P<0.02) and there was a tendency (P=0.06) for the rate of forage DM degradation to increase with supplementation. Supplementing forage diets with either DDGS, grain-soybean-canola- or grain-canola-based supplements did not increase the intake or digestibility of a forage-based diet. More research, however, is required to study the feasibility of feeding these supplements at greater levels with forage-based beef cattle diets.

. 2015. Effect of feeding strategically blended feed pellets on rumen fermentation and nutrient digestion. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 95: 243Á254. Five rumen-cannulated heifers (631931 kg) were used in a 5 )5 Latin square design to evaluate the effect of feeding blended by-product feed pellets (BP) on rumen fermentation and nutrient utilization. Four BP were formulated to be high in starch (HS) or fat (HF) and either low (LSP) or high (HSP) in soluble crude protein. The control diet consisted of 49.1% forage and 50.9% barley-based concentrate. Treatments were 50.3% forage and 49.7% BP (DM). Heifers fed HF BP had higher (P 00.05) mean pH values than those fed the control diet and tended (P00.07) to have higher mean pH than those fed the HS BP. Feeding HF BP decreased (PB0.05) rumen propionate concentration without affecting acetate or total volatile fatty acid concentration. Rumen ammonia-nitrogen (N) levels and digestibility of crude protein was highest (PB0.05) for HS, intermediate for HF, and the lowest for the control. Feeding HF BP reduced (PB0.05) gross energy digestibility and digestible energy content relative to both the control and HS diets while both BP increased (PB0.01) their extract digestibility compared with the control. There was minimal effect of pellet soluble crude protein content. Total N excretion (% of N intake) was not affected (P0.05) by treatment. These results indicate that BP had no adverse effects on rumen fermentation or apparent nutrient digestibility and did not result in issues with excess nutrient excretion. As such BP can be used as an alternative energy source in backgrounding diets to cereal grains and can help counteract volatility in feed grain prices. Cinq ge´nisses canule´es au rumen (631931 kg) ont e´te´utilise´es dans une expe´rience de carre´latin 5x5 pour e´valuer les effets de l'alimentation par granule´s de produits de´rive´s me´lange´s (BP Á « by-product feed pellets ») sur la fermentation du rumen et l'utilisation des e´le´ments nutritifs. Quatre BP ont e´te´formule´s pour avoir une forte teneur en amidon (HS Á « high starch ») ou en gras (HF Á « high fat ») et soit faible teneur en prote´ines brutes solubles (LSP Á « low soluble crude protein ») ou forte teneur en prote´ines brutes solubles (HSP Á « high soluble crude protein »). La die`te te´moin consistait de 49,1 % de fourrage et 50,9 % de concentre´a`base d'orge. Les traitements e´taient de 50,3 % de fourrage et 49,7 % BP (matie`res se`ches [DM Á « dry matter »]). Les ge´nisses ayant rec¸u les BP HF avaient des valeurs moyennes de pH plus e´leve´es (P00,05) que celles ayant rec¸u la die`te te´moin, et tendaient (P00,07) vers des valeurs moyennes de pH plus e´leve´es que celles ayant rec¸u les BP HS. L'alimentation aux BP HF a diminue´(PB0,05) la concentration de propionate dans le rumen sans avoir d'effet sur les concentrations d'ace´tate ou d'acides gras volatils totaux (VFA Á « volatile fatty acids »). Les niveaux d'ammoniac-azote (N) et de digestibilite´des prote´ines brutes (CP Á « crude proteins ») dans le rumen ...

Ward, C. I., Lardner, H. A. and Jefferson, P. G. 2012. Short Communication: Etiolated growth of hybrid bromegrass ( Bromus inermis × B. riparius ) compared with smooth bromegrass, meadow bromegrass, crested wheatgrass and tall fescue under grazed or nongrazed conditions. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 441–445. Etiolated spring regrowth of hybrid bromegrass was compared with smooth bromegrass, meadow bromegrass, crested wheatgrass and tall fescue under beef steer (Bos taurus) grazed or nongrazed conditions in the previous season over 2 yr in 2006 and 2007. Hybrid bromegrass seeded in 2003 had greater energy reserves than old crested wheatgrass (control) and similar reserves to tall fescue and crested wheatgrass. Hybrid bromegrass can be grazed in similar systems as meadow bromegrass and be expected to maintain sufficient energy reserves for spring growth.