Micro-mineral profile in different grassland species

The aim was to investigate the micro-mineral profile of herbage as affected by grassland species, cutting time and seasonality and in relation to dairy cow requirements. The different grassland species were grown and harvested in mixtures with one grass and one legume for two growing seasons. The species turned out to have very individual mineral profiles, not influenced by year. Among the legumes red clover (Trifolium pratense) had high concentrations of Co, Cu and Zn, white clover (Trifolium repens) of Mn and Fe, lucerne (Medicago sativa) of Se and lotus (Lotus corniculatus) of Co, Mn, Zn and Fe. Among the grasses perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) generally had the highest concentrations of all the micro-minerals. Hybrid ryegrass (Lolium hybridum) had slightly lower concentrations than perennial ryegrass for all minerals. Meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) had lower concentrations still, and timothy (Phleum pratense) had, with the exception of Zn, the lowest concentrations. In general, the mineral concentrations were higher in summer than in spring growth. During the growth Cu, Zn and Fe concentrations decreased, whereas Co, Se and Mg were unaffected. It was concluded that a mixture of red clover and perennial ryegrass had the best profile of micro-minerals for cattle feeding

Eating quality of Holstein bull calves fed only grass or purely herbs matches that of concentrate-fed veal calves

Organic meat production from Holstein calves born in dairy herds require that the bull calves are raised outdoor at least 6 months a year, and on large quantities of roughage in the diet. This study aimed at elucidating if Holstein bull calves fed either purely grass or purely herbs prior to slaughter would differ in meat quality traits, fatty acid composition and sensory profile and if they differed in quality aspects from concentrate-fed veal calves

Meat quality of hull calves fed only grass or only herbs for 8 weeks prior to slaughter matches that of concentrate-fed bull calves

The organic rules require that bull calves are raised outdoor at least 6 months a year in Denmark and are fed at least 60% roughage of the total diet. These rules are a constraint for an organic production of beef based on the bull calves born in the organic dairy herds because of extra labor costs, expected lower growth rate, difficulties in raising bull calves outdoor, possibly lower meat quality and lack of sufficiently high organic premium payment for the carcass. Thus, the bull calves are sold for conventional fattening. The supply of organic beef from young cattle is concomitantly very limited. However, in order to obtain the necessary higher payment for beef from organic-raised young cattle, it is important that consumers like the beef from grass- and herb-fed young cattle

Green veal is not dark red

Among many farmers, butchers and consumers, the expectation is that meat arising from grazing cattle generally is darker than meat from cattle primarily fed cereals. Without necessarily being the truth, this dogma is a constraint to the marketing of ‘green’ meat. In an attempt to increase the supply of organic meat from young cattle, we need to know which quality parameters are the characteristics for this type of meat, including colour characteristics

Vitamin and mineral content and feeding value of different legumes and grass species grown in seven legume-grass mixtures

The aim was to examine if including a range of grassland species could help to balance the diet on organic dairy farms compared with traditional mixtures. Four different grass species and four legume species were grown and harvested in mixtures with one grass and one legume for two growing seasons. The species turned out to have very individual mineral, vitamin and fiber profiles and organic matter digestibility, not influenced by year. Among the legumes red clover (Trifolium pratense) and white clover (Trifolium repens) had the highest feeding value and red clover had further a high content of Co, Cu and Zn. Lucerne (Medicago sativa) had as red clover a high growth potential in mixture but had in general a low content of macro and micro minerals with exception of Se. Lotus (Lotus corniculatus) had a low competitive strength, and the effect of the whole herbage was therefore limited even that the content of the vitamins were high. Among the grasses perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) generally had the highest feeding value, and a higher content of the macro and micro minerals and of vitamins as well than the other grasses (hybrid ryegrass (Lolium hybridum), meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) and timothy (Phleum pratense)). The only exception was meadow fescue, which had a higher content of alfa-tocopherol

Fatty Acids, α-Tocopherol, β-Carotene and Lutein Contents in Forage Legumes, Forbs, and a Grass-Clover Mixture

Fresh forages are an important natural source of vitamins and fatty acids in ruminant diets, and their concentrations in forage species are important for the quality of animal-derived foods such as dairy and meat products. The aims of this study were to obtain novel information on vitamins and fatty acids (FA) in a variety of forage legumes and non-legume forb species compared to a grass−clover mixture and to explore implications for animal-derived products. Seven dicotyledons [four forbs (salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor), caraway (Carum carvi), chicory (Cichorium intybus), and ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata)) and three legume species (yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), lucerne (Medicago sativa), and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus))] and a perennial ryegrass−white clover mixture were investigated in a cutting trial with four harvests (May−October) during 2009 and 2010. The experimental design was a randomized complete block, and analyses of variance were performed. In addition, three other forbs were grown: borage (Borago officinalis), viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare), and chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium). Lucerne and yellow sweet clover had the lowest α-tocopherol concentrations (21−23 mg kg−1 DM) and salad burnet and ribwort plantain the highest (77−85 mg kg−1 DM); β-carotene concentrations were lowest in lucerne, salad burnet, and yellow sweet clover (26−33 mg kg−1 DM) and highest in caraway, birdsfoot trefoil, and ribwort plantain (56−61 mg kg−1 DM). Total FA concentrations were lowest in lucerne, ribwort plantain, chicory, and yellow sweet clover (15.9−19.3 g kg−1 DM) and highest in caraway and birdsfoot trefoil (15.9−19.3 g kg−1 DM). Birdsfoot trefoil had the highest (53.6 g 100 g−1 FA) and caraway and lucerne the lowest (33.7−35.7 g 100 g−1 FA) proportions of n-3 FA. This study demonstrated higher vitamin concentrations in some forbs compared with major forages such as lucerne and grass−clover, more total FA in salad burnet, caraway, and birdsfoot trefoil than in lucerne, and higher n-3 FA concentrations in all forbs than in lucerne. Opportunities are discussed to develop novel biodiverse pastures for particular product quality characteristics

Self-sufficiency with vitamins and minerals on organic dairy farms

Self-sufficiency of nutrients is a central element in the organic farming principles. In a project involving five private organic dairy farms, we aimed to achieve self-sufficiency in vitamins and minerals at farm level. All the herds are fed 100% organically grown feed, but so far supplements of minerals and vitamins based on inorganic and synthetic products are imported to all farms. The same level and type of supplement was used for the cows all year round, even though all cows were on grass for at least 150 days during the summer period. The average daily intake from the supplement for a lactating cow was 751 mg E vitamin, 111 mg Cu, and 558 mg Zn. The content of vitamin and minerals in the home-grown feeds was modelled taking into account the effect of choice of crops; conservation method; season, plant development and climate conditions at harvest; quality of the silage production, and duration of storage. The modelled contents of vitamins in the main ingredients in the feed ration were verified by measuring the actual vitamin content in the silage at harvest as well as losses during storage. As an example, at one of the farms, where the feed intake was based on 85% grass clover crops during the summer but only 68% during the winter, the home-grown feed could supply the cows with enough vitamin E according to the requirement (800 mg/day) during the summer feeding but not during the winter period. The Cu requirement (10 mg/kg DM) could not be met from home-grown feed during any season. However, supplements of vitamins and minerals secure that requirement was met. The final outcome of the project will result in strategies for achieving self-sufficiency in vitamins and minerals at individual farms through optimization of the choice of forage crops and management of feed production

Effect of organic pig production systems on performance and meat quality

The present study was carried out to establish knowledge of consequence for setting up guidelines of importance for production of competitive organic pork of high quality. Performance and meat quality characteristics were compared between three organic pig production systems based on indoor housing with access to an outdoor area and a Danish conventional indoor system including 100% concentrate during the finishing feeding stage. The three organic systems used the following three feeding regimes: 100% organic concentrate according to Danish recommendations, 70% organic concentrate (restricted) plus ad libitum organic barley/pea silage and 70% organic concentrate (restricted) plus ad libitum organic clover grass silage, respectively. With exception of a slightly lower daily gain in organic pigs fed 100% concentrate, no significant difference was found in performance and meat quality characteristics compared with results obtained in the conventional system. In contrast and independent of roughage used, organic pigs raised on 70% concentrate had a significant reduction in daily gain (P < 0.001) compared with pigs raised on 100% concentrate, despite the fact that no difference in feed conversion rate was seen between the tested production systems. However, the percentage of leanness increased significantly in meat from organic pigs raised on 70% concentrate plus roughage compared with meat from pigs given 100% concentrate. This was reflected in higher yield (weight) of lean cuts and lower yield of cuts with high fat content from pigs fed 70% concentrate plus roughage. In general, organic feeding resulted in a significantly higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the back fat (1.8%), which increased further when restricted feeding plus roughage (4%) was used. Restricted concentrate feeding gave rise to a decrease in tenderness compared with pork from pigs fed 100% concentrate

Quantifying the onset of the concentric phase of the force–time record during jumping

Thirteen college students performed a drop jump from height equal to their peak vertical jump, single leg jumps from the left and right legs, and a counter movement jump. Vertical ground reaction force (GRF) obtained via an AMTI force plate and video analysis of markers placed on the hip, knee, lateral malleolus, and fifth metatarsal were used to estimate reaction forces on the knee joint. One-way Repeated Measures ANOVA indicated no differences for knee joint reaction forces relative to body weight or peak GRF for any of the jumps (p \u3e 0.05). Average measures Intraclass Correlation Coefficients ranged from r = 0.90 to 0.97. Results indicate that peak GRF and knee joint reaction forces during the drop jump, counter movement jump, and single leg left and right leg jumps are reliable measures