A42-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 15, 1999
NEWARK, Del. Fiber is
such a mysterious feed ration
component. It is either taken
largely for granted, or producers
use it in an intuitively estimated
minimum amount as insurance
against disasters, such as rumen
acidosis, low milk fat percentages
or lame feet laminitis.
We know that our dairy cows,
goats, sheep, and even camels and
reindeer need a certain amount of
fiber daily, because they are
ruminants.
In their rumen are millions of
fiber-digesting bacteria that de
pend on a regular feed supply of
fiber for their livelihood, which in
turn, in the guts, are exploited by
the hosting ruminant in digesting
them and their products.
Yet what is that “certain
amount of fiber?”
We know that when the feed ra
tion contains a lot of fiber, the
rumen bacteria are happy but the
hosting ruminant may be starved
for nutrients for production, which
reduces its daily milk output.
We also know that when the
feed ration is low on fiber, the
rumen bacteria (which want to
digest fiber) are unhappy; they
disappear to some extent and other
bacteria take over, causing a drop
in rumen pH to undersirable lev
els.
The consequences include low
milk fat levels, foot laminitis and
even death.
Finally, we even know that fib
er of some source is not the same
in rumen value as fiber from some
other sources.
Take, for example, alfalfa hay
a most common source and
compare its fiber with soybean
hulls or beet pulp or cotton seed or
com silage. Each has a different
value for the rumen bacteria.
To make it even more serious,
to be effective the fiber must be of
a certain minimum length, no less
than 1 inch, while the same fiber
ground up is not.
Thus, over the years, rules of
thumb developed, such as a mini
mum of 17 percent fiber in the dai
ly ration or a ratio of roughage to
concentrate in the daily ration in
take with a minimum of 40 per
cent roughage, in addition to the
1-inch minimum length precau
tion.
When our dairy cows produced
no more than SO pounds of milk
per day or our dairy goats make no
more than 3 pounds, then feeding
enough fiber daily was not much
of a challenge.
”'i 999 CASE CORPORATION
Visit u. nn th'j I ritor not jt wu ,is-' n , -r CASE #ll
ISf ii v .'J tr j j-’inri, k „
Fiber Research Shows Promise
Today, our cows routinely pro
duce 100 pounds or more of milk
daily for weeks, and our goats 10
pounds. Production like this re
quires a lot more nutrients in the
same daily feed ration and tends to
push fiber aside or to a minimum.
Even our national and interna
tional ration calculation programs
and textbooks do not include good
guidelines for daily requirement
amounts of fiber at different levels
of milk production and different
body weights.
Usually only the amounts of dry
matter, energy, protein, calcium,
phosphorus, vitamin A and D are
listed for maintenance of body
weight, growth and milk produc
tion at different levels.
The only place to find some in
dication of fiber consideration is
in lists of “recommended nutrient
concentration in feed dry matter,”
where crude fiber is given as 17
percent and acid detergent fiber as
21 percent, regardless of how
much the cows or goats are milk
ing, or what source and length the
fiber is, or digestibility.
Obviously, if the digestibility of
fiber differs, then the supply of en
ergy from its digestion differs for
the benefit of the bacteria and the
host ruminant. This is the focus of
recent research after years of ne
glecting this challenging area.
How can we aid the rumen bac
teria in the digestion of fiber?
The rumen bacteria employ en
zymes, some called “cellulases,”
which the ruminant host does not
possess, to split the cellulose in
the feed fiber into its carbohydrate
components. Success in this en
deavor could influence and reduce
the above empirical fiber require
ments, thus improving feeding ef
ficiency for high-producing dairy
animals and increase farm profit
ability.
Why not supplement the feed
ration with an enzyme solution,
even before the bacteria start
working?
Previous studies have had mix-
ed results because of too many un
knowns, such as interaction with
different ration components, sour
ce and amount of enzymes, sta
bility and application method.
New Canadian research show
ed, however, that a mixture of cel
lulase, xylanase and pectinase en
zymes sprayed daily at Ig/pound
dry matter onto a TMR ration be
fore feeding can benefit ration di
gestion significantly (Journal of
Dairy Science 82(1999):
378-390).
Holstein cows were fed for 65
pounds milk production according
to NRC recommendations a ration
of 45 percent forage (alfalfa hay
lage and barley silage) and 55 per
cent concentrate based mainly on
barley with a 17-percent protein
content.
Enzyme supplementation in
creased fiber digestibility by 8
percent for neutral detergent fiber
fractions in feeds and 11 percent
for acid detergent fiber; starch di
gestibility increased by 6 percent
Data also showed that there was
improvement of microbial protein
synthesis in the rumen due to the
enzyme supplementation, improv
ed digestion and absorption in the
small intestine. Milk production
increased by 3.5 pounds/day, and
milk fat and milk protein contents
were higher.
In further studies at the same
station (Journal of Dairy Science
82(1999): 391-403), a 10-percent
increase in milk production due to
Public Auction Register
Closing Date Monday 5:00 P.M,
of each week's publication
Internet Sale Register will be updated
every Sat at 2:23 P.M.
MAY
WED MAY 19 - 4PM At Hause
man’s Farm Market (Barn) Hill
Church Rd , Pikeville, Pa Bed
ding Plants, Shrubbery, farm
Tractors & Equip, Household,
Antiques, Furniture Gary Hause
man, auct
WED EVE MAY 19-7 15PM
Dairy Cattle Consign,ent Sale
Four States Livestock Sales,
Hagerstown, Md
THURS MAY 20 - 6PM
Fogelsville Auction Center,
Wildlife Pnnts & Firearms, Trees &
Shrubs West of Allentown, take
exit 148 off I-78 at Fogelsville, N 1
block turn L at light to Nursery St
Ralph W Zettlemover. Aucls
FRI MAY 21 ■ 6PM For russel
Diamond to be held at Lebanon
Valley Livestock Market, 1 mile E
of Fredencksburg, Pa along Rt
22 Collectors Tack Sale Keith
Byers aucts
DAIRY CATTLE B
CONSIGNMENT tSaI
SALE » **
Wed. Evening, May 19th
7:15 pm
FOUR STATES LIVESTOCK SALES
Hagerstown, MD 301-733-8120
PUBLIC A UCTION
20 Acres Berks Co. Farmette
Ideal For Horse or Animal Lovers
Thurs., May 27, 1999 at 7:00 P.M.
Located along Old Rt. 22 at the E. end of
Shartlesville, Berks Co., Pa. approx. 30 miles
W. of Allentown exit 8 off of Rt. 1-78.
2 Story brick cape cod home w/attached 1-car
garage First floor has a new cherry kitchen, DR,
LR w/fireplace, den, 1/2 bath Second floor has 3
BR’s & full bath, hardwood floors throughout, oil
hot air heat, 2 story 60’x40’ quanset style bam
w/washroom, workshop, open stalls & stables,
zoned residential. Beautiful view of the Blue Mts.
Quality throughout-Too many outstanding fea
tures to hst-Call (610) 796-7572 for an appoint
ment to view this property or come to open house
Sun., May 9th 1-3 PM. Terms are lt)% down
payment day ol auction, balance on or before 45
days Owner selling due to health reasons. Broker
participation accepted w/registered client day of
auction.
Auction For:
THOMAS & NANCY HOLLAND
John A. Hoffert Jr., Attorney
Auctioneer:
Dennis F. Wagner, AU-001427-L
Phone: (610) 562-7445
For Productivity
cellulase-xylanase enzyme sup
plementation was found. When al
falfa cubes or wafers were treated
with an enzyme mixture ’ efore
feeding, digestibility of fi'jer and
protein in the rumen was increas
ed, resulting in more n.:r" nW :!
protein synthesis.
Response to enzyme supple
mentation was greater for the Ig
enzyme/pound feed than for the
0.5 g/pound dosage, indicating
that optimum dosage needs to be
established.
This is also supported by simi
lar research in England (Journal of
Dairy Science 82(1999): 611-617)
with 30 mid-lactation Holstein
cows fed alfalfa hay, alfalfa sil
age, whole cottonseed and con
centrate on this now hot research
topic, using .5, 1 and 2.5 milliliter
of cellulase-xylanase enzyme
solutions.
Cows increased their voluntary
feed intake, produced significant
ly more milk with higher contents
SAT MAY 22 - 9AM For Klem
bach Family Enterprises At
Youngs Petroleum, Rt 29 & Lum
ber St, Green Lane, Pa Am B
Malmberg, auct
SAT MAY 22 - 9AM George
Jackson Estate Comercialßeal
Estate, cabinet making tools,
equp[ and supplies In the bor
ough of Orwigsburg West Market
St, Rt 443 Orwigsburg, Pa
Robert R Amer, auct
SAT MAY 22 - 9AM 18th & 19th
Century Amencan Furniture, pnm
itives, architectural antiques, lum
ber, horse drawn carnage &
sleigh, sailboat, truck parts, metal
of Allentown, Pa Take
exit 13 off 1-78 go 1 block Son Rt
863 to Old Rt 22 turn nghl for 1
mile then left at New Smithville
Hotel onto Millcreek Rd to Ist
blacktop nght to Twin Brook Farm
Ralph W Zettlemover, auct
SAT , MAY 22 - 9AM Consign
ment Sale Koser Building Maten
als, 523 Koser Rd , Elizabeth
town, Pa John Koser, auct
of milk fat and protein, and even
gained body condition, on the
medium-level enzyme supple
mentation. The results were con
sidered economical.
Also, the potential exists for us
ing lower-quality forage, while
sustaining milk production levels.
This reminds us of older re
search and empirical experience in
other countries, like Scandinavia,
where the use of forage ammonia
tion in plastic-bagged hay or hay
lage is common to achieve higher
nutritive value forage from fiber
digestion, before the use of
enzymes became better research
ed.
This ammoniation practice has
never caught on in the United
States.
Possibly the new enzyme re
search in the same direction
making fiber digestion better by
direct application of cellulolytic
enzyme sprays may find inter
est on dairy farms now, because of
its potential to increase dairy farm
profitability significantly.
MILK
Where's your mustache? “
PUBLIC AUCTION
MON., MEMORIAL DAY
MAY 31, @ 9:30 a.m.
1509 Ryan Rd., Fallston, Harford County, MD.
From Rt. 1 take Rt. 152 West to Oakmont Rd.
on right. Go to Ryan Rd. on right. Go 1/2 Mi.
to=sale on left. Signs Pasted. .
Partial Listing - 1210 Ford Tractor w/Woods
Dual Bucket and 4’ Mower Deck, 1012 A Ford
Tractor 3 pt. Hitch, Ford 5’ Finish Mower, 214
John Deere Lawn Mower, Allis Chalmejs
Tractor, 78 CJS Jeep, 1990 Ford F 250 Van
w/Ladder Racks, House 6’ Mower, Single
Bottom 3 pt. Hitch, 6’ Rear Scraper Blade, 2
Grip Cable Hoist (T 3), Plate Tamper w/Wisc.
Eng., Floor Sander, 2-1/2 Ton Floor Jack, Air
Hose, Berkel Slicer, Holbert, Slicer,
Chefmaid Slicer, Dough Roller, Assorted
Nursery Stock, Lawn and Garden Equip.,
Furniture, Fencing & Building Materials,
Farm Machinery, Etc.
Any items not sold must be picked up. We
will not accept fuel tanks, pld appliances,
tires and box lots of junk.
Small Tools and Wagon Items 9:30 a.m.
Lawn and Garden 11:00,a.m.
Farm Machinery at Noon.
Call NOW if you have something to sell!
Accepting items May 29 & 30 9:00 to 6:00 ,
RYAN AUCTIONS
410-569-0140 or 877-1635
Fax 817-6869
PUBLIC AUCTION
SAT., MAY 22,1999 at 9 AM
FOR: Kleinbach Family Enterprises
(Fred K. Kleinbach Sons - Building Supplies)
LOCATION: Youngs Petroleum, Rt 29 & Lumber
St, Green Lane, PA
DIRECTIONS
On Rt 29 between Rt 73 & Rt
100 near Rt. 63 in Green Lane, PA Watch for signs
New Building Sunnlies & Lumber To Include
Knotty Pine Paneling, Fir Porch Flooring, Interior
Flooring, Moulding, Shims, Assorted Interior &
Extenor Doors. Assorted Windows. Louvers, 2xB &
4xB Foam Insulation, Fiberglass Roll Insulation,
Vinyl Siding, White Aluminum Soffit & Fascia,
White K Gutter, Garage Doors. Shingles, Assorted
Paint, Roof Adhesives, Flue Liners, Coil Pipe,
Schedule 40 Pipe, PVC Pipe & Fittings. Bags of
Salt. Floor Safe. Platform Feed Scale. Shingle
Ladder & Much, Much More’
TERMS: Complete payment due day of auction by
cash or good PA check. Removal of merchandise -
ASAP.
ARN B. MALMBERG AUCTIONEER
PA# AU-2747-L
(610) 845-2594