Ruminant nutrition

Our research on ruminant nutrition primarily focuses on effects of feeding on metabolism, production and the environment but also includes effects of animal management on these factors. We study how grazing, and feeding strategies based on forage and by-products and different feed structures, affect animal welfare in conventional and organic herds. Furthermore we investigate how feeding influences the gastro-intestinal microbiota both in young and adult animals. In our research both the local and the global perspectives are important.

Ruminant management More about our ruminant research

On-going projects

Widening the harvest window of ley by increasing stubble height
Could impaired nutritional quality from delayed harvest of ley be counteracted by increasing the stubble height drastically and how would the total annual yield and quality then be affected?
Can the red algae Asparagopsis taxiformis reduce methane production in dairy cows?
In this project, the effect of red algae on methane production and on the feed digestibility for Swedish dairy cows is tested.
Find the forage-efficient cows and increase profitability
Is it possible to identify dairy cows with high forage intake capacity?
Milk production with extensively processed silage for increased forage intake
The aim of the project is to investigate how much extensive mechanical processing of silage can increase the forage intake in dairy cows and hereby reduce the requirement for concentrates.
INDILACT - Individually adapted lactations lengths
The aim of the project is to develop tools which can be used for individually adapted lactation lengths based on the biological conditions of the cow.

Finished projects

Improved utilization of regionally grown protein feeds for Swedish dairy cows
The goal with this project was to make it possible for Swedish dairy farms to replace imported, soy based protein feed with on farm processed concentrate based on home-grown or regionally grown Swedish protein sources as field beans, peas and rapeseed.
Total mixed ration - an economic feeding strategy for organic farmers with automatic milking?
How does the feed concentration in a total mixed ration affect milking frequencies and milk yield in automatic milking systems?
Shortened dry period for dairy cows
The aim of the project was to investigate how the length of the dry period affects the health of the cows and the composition and quality of the milk.

Published: 11 December 2023 - Page editor: marie.liljeholm@slu.se

Loading…