Large-package and ensiled milo stover for maintaining pregnant cows

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Introduction
Increased production costs and depressed grain and livestock prices have increased interest in using corn and milo crop residues for beef cow systems.Recent development of large, package-harvesting systems add another possibility.
Previous work here showed milo stover silage worth 85 to 90 percent as much as forage sorghum silage for maintaining cows in late gestation.Work at other stations with corn residues indicated superior performance from ensiled residue over dry harvested corn residue.This trial evaluated milo crop residue for winter cow maintenance and compared harvesting methods by cow performance.

Experimental Procedure
Milo stover and forage sorghum silages were harvested after a killing frost in October, 1975, with a two-inch recutter screen.Milo stover silage was ensiled in a trench silo; forage sorghum silage, in a 10 x 50 ft.concrete stave silo.Dry milo stover was packaged in late October with a Hesston Stakhand 10 (stack weight 2000 lbs) and Hesston 5600 Baler (bale weight 1200 lbs.).
One hundred two mature cows in mid gestation maintained in drylot year-round were allotted by weight and condition into three forage treatment groups.Cows were divided by breed into two pens per forage treatment during the 83-day trial and were weighed on and off trial with no feed before weighing.
Forage and milo stover silages estimated to be 67 and 57 percent TDN, respectively, were fed at maintenance levels.Dry stacks were fed ad libitum through collapsable feeding panels.A standard cow supplement was fed daily a (1.25 lbs.first 53 days; 1.5 lbs.final 30 days).All cows received 2 lbs. of corn per head daily the first 20 days.

Results and Discussion
Cow performances are shown in Table 13.1.During the first 53 days, Hereford and Simmental cows fed dry milo stover gained 29 and 17 lbs., respectively.Both groups lost weight and condition the last 30 days with corresponding decreases in dry matter intake.
Cows receiving forage sorghum silage were adequately maintained early and gained weight during the latter part of the trial, so they gained significantly more than other groups through the total trial.Milo stover silage cows lost weight (-71 and -97 lbs.) the first 53 days.We think we overestimated stover silage energy and underfed dry matter the first 53 days.Feeding the silage close to ad libitum the last 30 days brought dry matter intake up to adequate levels so both groups were gaining at the trial's close.
Late winter weight loss by cows on dry stover may reflect: (1) decreased intake, (2) increasing cow requirements, (3) decreasing stack nutrients as storage time increased, and (4) decreasing palatability due to mold or low moisture.The mild winter provided ideal feeding conditions and minimized stack waste to l0-15 percent.Results indicate that milo stover silage could adequately maintain cows in late gestation if fed near ad libitum.Dry stacked milo stover may require supplemental energy in late gestation due to depressed intake of the drier material.

Table 13 .
1. Daily intake and cow response to forage sorghum silage and ensiled or dry harvested milo stover.
a For dry stacks, disappearance is assumed as intake (waste estimated at 10-15%).

Table 13 .
2 .Compositions of the roughages fed cows in dry lot.