Nutritional Evaluation of Permanent Pastures during the Summer Months with Lactating Cows

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Abstract
The lignin, crude protein, and gross energy contents of herbage, digestibility of herbage, the pasture quantity and quality scores, and milk production were used to evaluate permanent pastures during the entire growing season. Permanent pasture was allowed as the sole source of forage to 1 group of cows and an optimum diet of good-quality alfalfa hay and grain fed to a control group indicated normal decline in production as lactation progressed. Very low significant correlations were obtained between the measure of milk production and pasture quality score and crude protein in herbage. Highly significant positive correlations (P< .01) were obtained between quality score and crude protein, quality score and gross energy, and between crude protein and gross energy. These variables were highly correlated with herbage digestibility. Pasture quality score and percentage of protein in herbage were considered possible criteria for feeding of high quality supplemental forage during the summer months so as to maintain uniform gross energy intake.