Barley or black oat silages in feeding strategies for small-scale dairy systems in the highlands of Mexico

Abstract

High costs from external inputs in small-scale dairy systems (SSDS) and possible effects of climate change, require forage alternatives as silage for the dry season, from small-grain cereals that have short cropping cycles, winter hardiness, and good nutritional quality. The objective was to assess the provision of 10 kg dry matter (DM) cow−1 d−1 of barley (BLY) or black oat (BKO) silages in three treatments: T1 = 100% BLY; T2 = 50% BLY + 50% BKO; T3 = 100% BKO for milking cows. All treatments also received 4.6 kg DM cow−1 d−1 of concentrates and access to pasture. Nine Holstein cows in groups of three were randomly assigned to a 3 × 3 Latin square design repeated three times, with 14 d experimental periods. Measurements of animal variables and sampling for chemical analyses of feeds were done during the last 4 d of each period. Feeding costs were by partial budgets. There were no differences (P > 0.05) for milk yield, milk fat and protein content, milk urea nitrogen, body condition score, or live weight. The cost of BLY silage was 8% less than BKO silage. T1 had the higher margin over cost of feeds followed by T2. Both silages alone or in combination are viable options for SSDS, as there were no differences in performance, or in feeding costs or margins.

Feeding Forage Mixtures of Ryegrass (Lolium spp.) with Clover (Trifolium spp.) Supplemented with Local Feed Diets to Reduce Enteric Methane Emission Efficiency in Small-Scale Dairy Systems: A Simulated Study

“…Average enteric CH 4 emissions per year (kg CH 4 y −1 ) were higher than reported in dairy cows in Canada (118 kg/year) [ 45 ], but in terms of g CH 4 per day/cow, emissions were lower in dairy cows under rotational grazing in New Zealand (402 ± 52 g/day) [ 46 ], but similar results in Ireland (357.6 ± 4 g/day) [ 47 ] and also in intensive dairy farming in China (370 g/day) [ 48 ]. Regardless of management cut and carry or grazing (366 ± 2 g/day) was similar between treatments ( p > 0.05), being lower when using white clover (359.9 g/day) compared to red clover (372.7 g/day), the latter agrees with Carrillo Hernandez et al [ 23 ] who found that cows that grazed annual pastures emitted a higher amount of methane (266.6 g/day), compared to cows that grazed perennial pastures (242.6 g/day); hence, it is important to consider that depending on the type of forage, enteric fermentation and therefore methane emission will vary.…”

“…In another study [21], carried out in dairy cows feed with Ryegrass grazing Festulolium associated with white clover, oat silage, and commercial concentrate, obtained similar milk yields (18.86 kg/d/cow) as in the present study. It is important to consider that under the conditions of the present simulation study, the predictions made with previous studies coincide [15,[20][21][22][23]26], considering that under SSDS systems, they are in the range of 14 to 20 kg milk production.…”

“…Fadul-Pacheco et al [ 14 ] previously characterized the SSDS in the study area, and Alfonso-Ávila et al [ 8 ], Martínez-García et al [ 9 ], Celis-Alvarez el al. [ 15 ], López-González et al [ 16 ], Jaimez-García et al [ 17 ], Sainz-Sánchez et al [ 18 ], Plata-Reyes et al [ 19 ], Becerril-Gil et al [ 20 ]; Burbano-Muñoz et al [ 21 ], Carrillo-Hernández et al [ 22 ], Gómez-Miranda et al [ 23 ], González-Alcántara et al [ 24 ], López-González et al [ 25 ], Marín-Santana et al [ 26 ], Rosas-Dávila et al [ 27 ], Vega-García et al [ 28 ], Muciño-Álvarez et al [ 29 ], identified different local feeding strategies used during the rainy and dry seasons. Based on previous research studies, the different feeding scenarios were determined ( Table 1 ).…”

Urea treatment of mature whole-crop cereal mixtures as salvage forage for small-scale dairy systems in the dry season

“…Among small-grain cereals with forage potential for SSDS there are: triticale, an intergeneric hybrid between wheat and rye which presents greater environmental tolerance and less nutrient loss as it matures (González-Alcántara et al, 2020; Haque et al, 2008;Harper et al, 2017); barley, with higher digestibility and microbial protein production reducing the need for protein sources, with greater competitiveness and dominance over other species (Baron et al, 2015;Gómez-Miranda et al, 2020); and rye, favoured for its resistance to drought, diseases and low temperatures (Castro et al, 2011).…”

Fatty acid profile in milk of cows fed triticale silage in small-scale dairy systems in the highlands of central Mexico

“…Several studies have shown that small-grain cereal grains have advantages for use as forage, due to their short agronomic cycle and higher resistance to dry conditions (Murillo et al 2001;Salgado et al 2013;Celis-Álvarez et al 2016;Gómez-Miranda et al 2020).…”