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Green biorefineries provide novel opportunities to use the green biomass efficiently and utilize the ecosystem services provided by grasslands more widely. The effects of the inclusion of fractionated grass silage solid fraction (pulp) on feed intake, rumen fermentation, diet digestion and milk production in dairy cows were investigated. Pulp was separated from grass silage using a screw press simulating a green biorefinery. Partial removal of liquid from forage increased DM concentration from 220 to 432 g/kg and NDF from 589 to 709 g/kg DM while CP decreased from 144 to 107 g/kg DM. A feeding trial using an incomplete changeover design with 24 Nordic Red cows and two 3-week periods was conducted. The pulp replaced grass silage in the diet at 0 (P0), 25 (P25) and 50 (P50) percentage of total forage, which was fed ad libitum with 13 kg of concentrate for all treatments. The forage DM intake was highest on P25 (14.1 kg/day) while P0 and P50 did not differ from each other (13.2 and 13.0 kg/day, respectively). There were no differences between the treatments in rumen pH or ammonia N, but the proportion of acetate increased with increasing pulp inclusion. The digestibility was measured using acid insoluble ash and indigestible NDF (iNDF) as internal markers. Neither of the markers detected differences in NDF digestibility, but according to iNDF, apparent total tract organic matter digestibility decreased with increasing pulp inclusion. The cows maintained milk production at P25, but it showed some decline at P50 (energy-corrected milk at P0 and P25 was 39.8 kg/day while for P50, it was 38.5 kg/day, P = 0.056) and the milk protein yield significantly declined with higher pulp inclusion. Simultaneously, the nitrogen use efficiency in milk production increased. It seems that the fibrous grass-based fraction from a biorefinery process has potential to be used as a feed for ruminants.

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is a grain legume that provides possibilities to increase local protein self-sufficiency both as feed and food in areas where possibilities for cultivation of other protein crops are limited. However, full ripening may not be achieved and storage of the moist beans by crimping and ensiling provides an economic alternative to drying, and is well suited for animal feeding. The objectives of the current experiment were to evaluate the effects of moisture content and various silage additives on the fermentation quality, aerobic stability and fate of bioactive compounds of ensiled crimped faba beans in a pilot scale ensiling experiment. Faba beans were combine harvested at moisture level of 443 g/kg and crimped prior to ensiling. The following additive treatments were applied using three replicates: 1) control (CON), 2) two commercial lactic acid bacteria inoculants as mixture (LABmix), 3) In-house LAB inoculant (LABLuke), 4) Formic acid based product (FA) and 5) Salt based product (Salt). Further, two of the additive treatments were prepared with additional moisture: 6) Control with tap water addition (CON + w) and 7) LABmix with tap water addition (LABmix + w). The beans ensiled without additive showed elevated pH, butyric acid and ethanol concentrations and proportion of ammonia N in total N. Addition of water further decreased the fermentation quality. The LAB inoculants improved the fermentation quality of the beans compared to CON. The fermentation was effectively restricted when FA was used. Both LAB and chemical additives improved aerobic stability compared to CON and Salt was especially effective in improving aerobic stability. Vicine disappeared totally during the ensiling period and also convicine was effectively degraded. It seems that promoting microbial activity in the silo either by LAB inoculation or increased moisture promoted the degradation of convicine, while chemical additives decreased the degradation of it. Total and particularly soluble proanthocyanidins were also degraded during the ensiling period. Crimping and ensiling is an alternative preservation method for faba beans which eliminates the energy consumption and investments required for drying. In addition, benefits regarding the concentrations of bioactive compounds may be expected.

Passage, breakdown and digestion rates of large and small particles were estimated using the rumen evacuation technique and total faecal collection with four lactating dairy cows in a4 ×4 Latin square experiment. Two primary growth grass (PG) and two regrowth grass (RG) silages, each harvested at two different growth stages, were fed as dietary treatments supplemented with 8.0 kg concentrate per day. Ruminal contents and faeces were divided into large (>1.25 mm; LP) and small (1.25–0.04 mm; SP) particles by wet sieving. Indigestible neutral detergent fibre (iNDF) was determined by 12-day ruminal in situ incubation followed by a neutral detergent extraction. Ruminal iNDF content of LP (LPiNDF) and SP (SP-iNDF) for both PG and RG diets increased with advancing maturity of the grass. The passage rate of SP-iNDF tended to be faster (P

Passage, comminution and digestion rates of large and small particles were estimated using a rumen evacuation technique and total faecal collection with five lactating dairy cows in a 5 × 5 Latin square experiment. Two grass and two red clover silages harvested at early and late primary growth stages and a 1:1 mixture of late harvest grass and early harvest red clover were the dietary treatments. Cows received 9.0 kg supplementary concentrate per day. Ruminal contents and faeces were divided into large (>1.25 mm) and small (1.25–0.038 mm) particles by wet sieving. Indigestible neutral detergent fibre (iNDF) was determined by 12 days ruminal in situ incubation followed by neutral detergent extraction. Plant species did not affect ruminal particle size distribution, whereas advancing forage maturity decreased the proportion of large particles for both grass and red clover silage diets. Ruminal pool size of iNDF was higher (P

Two silages were prepared from the primary growth (PG) of timothy-meadow fescue sward at early (E) and late (L) stage of growth. The subsequent regrowth (RG) areas were further harvested at early (EE and LE) and late (EL and LL) stages of growth resulting in six silages in total. The silages were fed ad libitum to 24 lactating Finnish Ayrshire cows and supplemented with 8 or 12 kg concentrate per day in a cyclic change-over experiment with four 21-day periods and 6 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The quality of silages varied markedly within and between the harvests although variation was greater within PG than RG. Postponing the harvest in PG decreased silage dry matter (DM) intake by 0.48 kg and energy corrected milk yield (ECM) by 0.61 per 10 g decrease in silage D-value (concentration of digestible organic matter in DM), while responses and the range between the diets were clearly smaller when RG silages were fed. On average, ECM yield was higher when PG rather than RG silages were fed. The mean response to increased concentrate DM intake was 0.62 kg ECM using diets based on PG. The response increased with increasing growth stage of grass being 0.34 and 1.01 kg ECM / kg additional concentrate DM for E and L, respectively. The difference was mainly mediated by the differences in substitution rates (reduction in silage DM intake per increase in concentrate DM intake, kg/kg), which were 0.71 and 0.22 for E and L, respectively. The ECM response to increased concentrate allowance was on average greater when RG rather than PG silages (0.92 vs. 0.62 kg/kg concentrate) were fed. Milk production of dairy cows reflected the intake of metabolizable energy and no differences in the utilization of it were found between diets based on silages harvested from PG and RG. However, intake of RG silages was slightly lower than that of comparable PG silage, but definite reasons for that could not be identified.

The effects of increased concentrate level on milk production was assessed during two consecutive indoor feeding seasons according to a continuous randomised block design using 44 (season 1) and 47 (season 2) Finnish Ayrshire cows. Treatments allocated according to a 2×2 factorial design consisted of two concentrate levels and two protein feeding systems. Low and high concentrate feeding regimens were applied to multiparous cows as 9 and 14 kg/day during days 1–150 of lactation and 8 and 11.5 kg for days 151–224, respectively. Primiparous cows received proportionately 0.80 of that fed to multiparous cows. In order to identify the effects of concentrate energy alone, concentrates were formulated so that increases in concentrate feeding resulted in either a constant supply of concentrate crude protein (CP) (mean 1.4 kg/day) or constant intake of rapeseed meal (RSM) (mean 1.7 kg DM/day). Consequently, concentrate CP content decreased with the increasing level of concentrate. Concentrate was offered through computerised self-feeders and silage was fed ad libitum. Increasing energy intake at a constant CP level seemed to have a more negative effect on silage dry matter (DM) intake compared with feeding a constant supply of RSM. Increases in concentrate DM intake resulted in mean substitution rates of 0.48 and 0.25 for CP and RSM diets, respectively. However, the positive effect of concentrate supplementation on milk yield was independent of protein feeding strategies. Milk production increased ( P