Alfalfa biotypes with putative enhanced cell wall digestibility and effects on performance of growing beef steers.

Three alfalfa biotypes were chosen based on the presumption that they would be sources of alfalfa herbage that differed in lignin concentration and therefore cell wall digestibility. The hypothesis was that a lesser lignin concentration would result in greater alfalfa neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility and greater beef steer growth performance. The three alfalfa biotypes were HarvXtra (Forage Genetics International), Hi-Gest 360 (Alforex Seeds), and a control alfalfa, LegenDairy XHD (Winfield Solutions LLC).

Effect of milk feeding strategy and lactic acid probiotics on growth and behavior of dairy calves fed using an automated feeding system1.

Automated milk feeders offer flexibility to feed calves high milk allowances, to change the daily quantity of milk offered, and also to dispense additives like probiotics on an individual basis. Our objectives were to test the effects of 2 milk feeding protocols and a lactic acid bacterium probiotic on performance and behavior in calves. Heifer dairy calves (n = 96) were enrolled at birth in a 2 × 2 factorial study design comparing feeding (1) 2 milk feeding protocols and (2) a lactic acid bacterium-based probiotic program, or a placebo, using automated milk feeders.