This specially curated collection features five reviews of current and key research on crops as livestock feed.
This specially curated collection features five reviews of current and key research on crops as livestock feed.
The first chapter reviews the impact of feeding ruminants cereal grains on animal physiology and health. The chapter explores the use of starch-containing cereal grains as a feedstuff to improve animal efficiency and performance, as well as to reduce the environmental footprint of ruminant animal production.
The second chapter discusses key environmental trade-offs in the use of crops as livestock feed. It reviews key elements in trade-off analysis and explores opportunities for making better use of existing feed resources and producing more feed biomass of higher fodder quality.
The third chapter reviews ways of optimising the use of barley for animal feed, from production and breeding through to the application of new technologies such as near infrared spectroscopy and molecular markers.
The fourth chapter reviews the use of sorghum as an important source of fodder and forage. It reviews the different types of sorghum used for forage and other applications, and then provides a detailed discussion of the use of forage sorghum as feed for ruminants.
The final chapter discusses the use of soybean meal (SBM) as an animal feed. It assesses the nutritional content of SBM, as well dealing with its anti-nutritive compounds in optimising its use.
Chapter 1 - The use of feedlot/cereal grains in improving feed
efficiency and reducing by-products such as methane in ruminants: Kristin
Hales, US Meat Animal Research Center USDA-ARS, USA; Jeferson Lourenco,
Darren S. Seidel, Osman Yasir Koyun, Dylan Davis and Christina Welch,
University of Georgia, USA; James E. Wells, US Meat Animal Research Center
USDA-ARS, USA; and Todd R. Callaway, University of Georgia, USA; 1
Introduction2 Types of cereal grains fed to cattle3 Cereal grain production4
Dietary factors affecting methane production by ruminants5 The role of starch
and forage in methane formation6 H2 sinks in the rumen and methane
production7 Using cereal grains to improve feed efficiency and reduce methane
production8 Microbiology of cereal grain fermentation9 Bacteria and archaea
involved in fermentation10 Feed retention time11 Acidosis and other negative
feed effects12 Summary13 Where to look for further information14 References
Chapter 2 - The use and abuse of cereals, legumes and crop residues in
rations for dairy cattle: Michael Blümmel, International Livestock Research
Institute (ILRI), Ethiopia; A. Muller, Research Institute of Organic
Agriculture (FiBL), and ETH Zürich Switzerland; C. Schader, Research
Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland; M. Herrero,
Commonwealth Scientifi c and Industrial Research Organization, Australia; and
M. R. Garg, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), India; 1 Introduction2
Current and future levels of animal sourced food (ASF) production3 Dairy
ration compositions and current and projected feed demand and supply4 Context
specifi city of feed demand and supply5 Ration composition and ceilings to
milk productivity6 Optimizing the feedanimal interface: ration balancing in
intensive and extensive dairy systems7 Summary8 Where to look for further
information9 References
Chapter 3 - Optimising the use of barley as an animal feed: David M. E.
Poulsen, Queensland University of Technology, Australia; 1 Introduction2 What
is feed barley?3 What do we want from feed barley?4 Optimising feed
barley use5 Understanding and optimising feed barley quality for different
livestock species6 Future trends and research opportunities7 Conclusion8
Where to look for further information9 References
Chapter 4 - Sorghum as a forage and energy crop: Scott Staggenborg and Hui
Shen, Chromatin Inc., USA; 1 Introduction2 Forage and biomass sorghum types3
Forages as animal feed4 Dedicated energy sorghum5 Sweet sorghum6 Summary7
Where to look for further information8 References
Chapter 5 - Nutritional considerations for soybean meal use in poultry diets:
Justin Fowler, University of Georgia, USA; 1 Introduction2 Nutritional
content of SBM3 Anti-nutritive compounds4 Genetically modified soybeans5
Conclusion and future trends6 Where to look for further information7
References
Dr Poulsen is currently Director of Poulsen Beechwood Consulting Pty Ltd and a visiting researcher at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. He has previously been a member of the Barley Breeding Australia Board from 2007 to 2011; chairing the Board for the 2007/08 and 2008/09 financial years.
