ANNUAL RYEGRASS STORED AS BALAGE, HAYLAGE, OR HAY FOR LACTATING DAIRY-COWS

Frequent rainfall in south Louisiana often limits the successful harve st of annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) as high quality hay. A 2 -yr study was conducted to determine the effect of conserving ryegrass as balage on ensiling efficiency storage losses, and feeding value. R yegrass conservation treatments were balage (BLG), haylage (HLG, posit ive control), and hay (HAY, negative control). Ryegrass was cut at the boot stage and, following a 48-h wilt, was baled and wrapped with str etch film (BLG) or was chopped and stored in a bag silo (HLG), HAY (bl oom stage) was harvested approximately 3 wk later when weather permitt ed and was stored indoors. At the conclusion of the 6-mo storage perio d, the nutritional value of stored forages was assessed with lactating Holstein cows (n = 21), Ryegrass pH values were lower, and lactate co ncentrations were slightly higher for HLG than BLG, Storage losses ave raged 8.9% of dry matter (DM) for BLG compared with 3.7% for barn-stor ed HAY. Forage nutritive value was similar between ensiled forages; ho wever, HAY was lower in protein and energy than other treatments. Cows fed HLG consumed 17.3% more forage DM and tended to produce more fat- corrected milk (FCM) than cows fed BLG, Feed efficiency (Ib FCM/lb dry matter intake [DMI]) was higher for the BLG treatment than HAY. No tr eatment differences were observed for milk composition or cow weight/c ondition changes. Balage is an acceptable means of storing high qualit y ryegrass forage.