If you’re a cattle farmer, you may be wondering how red clover silage for beef cattle can benefit your operations. Here are a few benefits:
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Increases milk yield
There is a growing body of evidence that feeding red clover silage to cattle can increase milk yield. A recent study conducted by the silage advisory centre found that a switch from conventional to red clover silage reduced rumen weight loss, increased feed intake, and milk yield by around four kilograms/day. For Brian Nicholson, red clover silage is a powerful tool for improving milk yield because it boosts the cattle’s nutritional status, especially in the calving phase.
While the nutrients and nutrient content are comparable, the composition of red clover silage is more highly digestible. Red clover contains polyphenol oxidases, enzymes that prevent protein degradation. In the studies, the cows ate less of the red clover silage and digested 20 percent less protein. Yet they produced the same amount of milk as they did on the alfalfa-only diet.
Reduces feed bills
Red clover silage can significantly reduce beef cattle’s feed bills, and is an excellent supplement to alfalfa. A study conducted in MP and ME found that red clover yielded slightly more dry matter per ton than alfalfa, resulting in reduced feed bills. The study also found that the added protein in red clover helped reduce protein supplementation costs. In addition, it produced higher crude protein than alfalfa and ryegrass silage, which reduced the cost of supplementing protein with corn and soybeans.
Research has found that red clover silage yields are comparable to those of grass silage. The highest yielding cut of red clover is the second cut, and it competes well with weeds through three harvests. The leaves can shatter during harvest, reducing the silage’s nutritional value. Moreover, the crop can be harvested up to three times per year for subsequent years.
Protects fatty acids from breakdown by microbes
Using red clover silage as a feed for animals increases the deposition of beneficial C18 PUFA in the rumen and milk. This is a result of PPO activity, a fatty acid-protecting enzyme, in plant material. It also protects plant protein and glycerol-based PUFA by inactivating lipases and proteases. PPO complexes with nucleophiles and denatures plant proteases.
This study found that adding red clover silage to the diet of beef steers increased the retention of C18 PUFA and improved the efficiency of nitrogen use in the rumen. However, further studies are needed to better understand the mechanism of action of the fatty acid-protecting properties of the silage. Although the role of PPO in red clover silage has not been fully understood, it has been shown to protect fatty acids from degradation by microbes.
Reduces protein breakdown in the silo
Research shows that red clover contains an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, which slows down the breakdown of protein in silos. The reduced breakdown of protein helps beef cattle gain muscle mass, improve milk yields, and produce higher levels of PUFAs. Red clover silage contains between 50 and 66% of the protein of alfalfa. While it’s not a perfect substitute for alfalfa, it does reduce protein breakdown in cattle silos.
Red clover silage feeds beef cattle with a lower rate of protein breakdown in beef cattle silos. The silage increases the deposition of C18 PUFA, which improves the nutrient-rich quality of animal products. PPO activity protects protein and glycerol based-PUFA in animal products and deactivates proteases and lipases in plant tissue. PPO activity also protects plant-based PUFA by complexing with nucleophiles and reducing the enzymatic action of a variety of enzymes.
Easy to harvest
Using high-clover swards for beef production has a number of advantages, which we’ll explore in this article. In addition to feeding cattle quality feed, silage can be used as an excellent source of phosphorus and potash for soil fertility. Unlike grass, which needs N for growth, clover provides it naturally. This is a major advantage over grass-only swards, which are prone to overgrazing.
Red clover is the easiest legume to reestablish in a formerly grassy field. Several ways are possible, including wilting the crop. For example, the resulting silage needs 24 to 48 hours of wilting to be edible. If it is not wilted properly, the leaves become brittle and break during harvest. Over-wilted leaves reduce the nutritional value of the finished silage. Additionally, the resulting silage may require more than one harvest, and the loss of leaves is a major concern.
