August 25, 2023
Oaten hay research as livestock feed aims to enhance Australian dairy industry
A study by AgriFutures Australia and University of Melbourne has found that premium quality oaten hay might support heightened levels of animal production performance when compared to other forages, which could to support the sustainable development of dairy production, Sheep Central reported.
This study has the potential to not only expand Australia's export fodder sector but also to usher in a wave of animal health, production, and environmental advantages for the domestic dairy industry.
Conducted under the guidance of Dr Paul Long Cheng, senior lecturer specialising in livestock nutrition and grazing management at the University of Melbourne, this research is being carried out by PhD student Zelin Li.
Initial findings from in vitro rumen fermentation analysis have revealed significant disparities across various forages in aspects such as gas production, dry matter (DM) disappearance, ammonia levels, volatile fatty acids, methane production, and pH shifts.
Gas production and DM disappearance serve as indicators of potential animal production performance. Notably, the analysis unveiled that high-quality oaten hay and high-quality barley hay exhibited the highest gas production rates, while high-quality oaten hay showcased the most pronounced DM disappearance.
Li said based on the in vitro analysis, the results indicated that high-quality oaten hay may support a higher level of animal production performance than other tested forages.
Employing the Ankom RF Gas Production System for the in-vitro experiment, which emulates cattle rumen function, Dr Cheng said that gas production tells a story about digestibility because the more cattle digest in the rumen, the more that is turned into gas.
Li characterised hay as an indispensable component in animal diets, furnishing the requisite fibre, energy, and nutrients for growth and development. However, he underscored that not all hay is the same.
Dr Cheng highlighted the dearth of international research in this domain and asserted that oaten hay is more than a mere fiber source, an assertion supported by its potential to enhance animal health and overall production.
This study meticulously evaluated high and low-quality tiers of seven distinct conserved forage varieties, encompassing wheat hay, barley hay, timothy hay, ryegrass hay, lucerne hay, and corn silage. Nutritive value analysis demonstrated that high-quality oaten hay excelled with DM = 88% compared to 93%, neutral detergent fibre = 47% against 58%, and water-soluble carbohydrate = 25% versus 14%, for high and low-quality variants respectively.
A proposal for a cattle growth trial is presently awaiting approval from the University of Melbourne's animal ethics committee. The prospective field trial is slated for execution at the University of Melbourne's Dookie campus, situated near Shepparton in northern Victoria.
- Sheep Central