More and better quality roughage as basis for Norwegian meat and milk production

Janne Karin Brodin

Grass silage is the dominating roughage in Norwegian milk production, consisting around 45 percent of a total ration. Ruminants have a potential of larger intake of roughage than what is usual today.

For this capacity to be exploited fully there is a need for a considerable improvement of the roughage quality compared to what is average today.

Grashøsting Grass harvesting Photo: Torstein H. Garmo

The research project “More and better roughage”
At Institute of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences a large four year roughage project has been carried out. The main goal is to search for how farmers can turn a profit using roughage with high potential nutritional value in meat and milk production without reducing the health or welfare of the animals, and maintaining important environmental goals in Norwegian agricultural production.

Rundballepakker Round baler Photo: Torstein H. Garmo

The hypothesis of the project is that future meat and milk production will become more profitable and robust if it is based on home maid roughage with higher potential nutritional value than what is typical today.

So far the projects results have shown that intake of early harvested silage is very high and with high digestibility. The milk yield is good even with small amount of feed concentrate, when the grass is early harvested.

Sortering av grasprøver Sorting grass samples Photo: Torstein H. Garmo

Based on the results so far there are indications that advise facilitating for higher intake of roughage. First rate silage from early grass can with good results be used for all ruminants.

The research project has timescale 2005-2009, and is established as a project of Research Council of Norway.

Published: 11.06.09
Updated: 12.06.09
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