Whole-plant silage from intercropped grain
sorghum and Williams 82 soybean was compared
to corn silage in a mixed diet for mid-lactation
dairy cows. Cows fed the grain sorghum-soybean
silage yielded 45.13 lb and those fed corn silage
yielded 44.05 lb of fat (4%)-corrected milk daily.
Milk yield, milk fat, and milk lactose percentages
were similar between cows fed the two silages.
Protein and solids non-fat percentages for the
cows fed the corn silage diet were .09 and .06
units greater than those of cows fed the grain
sorghum silage. Cows fed the corn silage tended
to gain more (+105.8 lb) than those fed the grain
sorghum-soybean silage (+95.2 lb). We conclude
that, if the cost for producing intercropped grain
sorghum and soybean silage (ton/acre) is at least
similar to that of producing corn silage, the intercropped
grain sorghum and soybean silage can be
substituted for corn silage in a mid-lactation dairy
cow diet.
