Effects of forage chopping on dry matter intake, ruminal fermentation, apparent total tract digestibility, and estimated microbial protein supply for beef heifers

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Highline Manufacturing Ltd. is an equipment developer and manufacturer that has equipment designed to**process forage. Recent advancements to the forage processor include the addition of a chopper to create a more**homogenous particle size of the chopped forage. However, it is not clear what the optimal severity of forage**processing is. Understanding how to best process forage is important for both Highline Manufacturing Ltd. and**beef cattle producers as beef cattle have the ability to use low-quality forage as a feed source to provide**essential nutrients within their diet. However, unprocessed low-quality forage may constrain total feed intake.**When combined with the inherent low nutrient density for low-quality forages and the arising reduced intake,**low quality forages, may not always provide sufficient nutrients to meet the nutrient requirements for beef**cattle. Forage processing may be one strategy to improve both feed intake and digestibility for low quality**forages fed to beef cattle. However, most previous studies have focused on the use of forage shredders that**produce a high proportion of fine particles and a large particle size variation in the processed product.**Producing a wide range in particle size increases the ability for cattle to sort and may override benefits**associated with processing. In contrast, forage chopping following processing results in a general reduction in**particle size and variation in that particle size. This approach has the potential to**improve low-quality forage utilization, improve nutrient supply for beef cattle, and provide an economic**opportunity for beef cattle producers. However, data is lacking on the ideal severity for which forage is**processed. This study will evaluate how the severity of forage processing affects beef cattle responses such that**we can identify how the severity influences cattle responses in effort to optimize forage processing.