Nutrient Consumption and Utilization from Alfalfa Pasture, Soilage, and Hay

Studies are reported in which additional support is given the chromogen technique as a method of estimating the dry matter and TDN intake of grazing animals. A comparison between the chromogen technique and a pre- and post-grazing clipping method indicated that the clipping method greatly overestimated the dry matter and TDN intake of steers grazing alfalfa. Steers grazing alfalfa made equal gains to those fed alfalfa soilage while consuming 30% less dry matter. Data are presented indicating that the net energy of the TDN in forage selected by grazing steers may be greater than that of the TDN in harvested fresh forage or hay made from the same crop.