Starch digestibility seminars offered

Starch digestibility of common feedstuffs can have a significant impact on performance of lactating dairy cows.

Pat Hoffman and Randy Shaver, dairy scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have compared the starch digestibility values of very fine-ground corn to cracked corn. They wrote that a "14 percentage unit difference in starch digestibility would translate into a 10 percentage unit difference in the TDN values for these corns ... At a 10 lb. dry matter per cow per day feeding rate of corn, failure to account for this difference in energy values could cost about 3 lb. of milk per cow per day."

Starch digestibility can be influenced by many factors, including particle size, moisture, maturity, ensiling and virtuousness. There are a number of analytical tools available for determining starch digestibility.

In September, Dairyland Laboratories Inc will host a series of technical-update seminars that focus on starch digestibility. The guest speaker will be the aforementioned Randy Shaver. Information presented will provide nutritionists with a good understanding and practical application of the following analytical tools:

• In vitro Starch Digestibility 7 hr.
• Total Tract Starch Digestibility (Cow Relevant analysis).
• Fecal Starch.
• UW Grain Evaluation System.

For a complete listing of dates and times, please visit www.dairylandlabs.com.

1. Ag markets posted mixed showing on Tuesday
2. Plains storms cause minor harm to Oklahoma/Kansas wheat
3. Chocolate milk a top post-workout food
4. Another reason for adults to drink milk
5. Penn State Dairy Team schedules “Tools for Teams” webinars
6. Ag markets generally mixed again Tuesday morning

1. 4 rules for growing a business or industry
2. Seven jobs more dangerous than farming
3. D.C. Watch: Farm bill progressing
4. Chocolate milk a top post-workout food
5. April milk production up 0.3 percent
6. Class III futures close out quietly last week

1. Commentary: Slanting the statistics
2. World food supply depends on character, virtuous leadership
3. Buffet concerned about soil and starvation
4. Cold spring stunts upper Midwest hay crop
5. N.M. rancher charged with 43 counts of animal cruelty
6. 2014 Farm Bill: Are we near an agreement?