Effect of dietary neutral detergent fiber concentration and forage source on performance of lactating cows

'Mott' dwarf elephantgrass, forage sorghum, 'Tifton 81' bermudagrass, and whole corn plant were stored as silage and fed as the only forage source in diets formulated to 31, 35, and 39% NDF. The 12 diets were fed for ad libitum intake as a TMR to midlactation Holstein cows, primarily to determine the effect of NDF concentration and forage source on DMI and milk production. Increased dietary NDF concentration linearly decreased DMI (3.69 to 3.35%) and OM intake (3.39 to 3.06%) as a percentage of BW and linearly increased NDF intake as a percentage of BW (1.15 to 1.32%). Production of milk (23.0 to 21.7 kg/d) and 4% FCM (20.7 to 19.6 kg/d) and percentage of milk protein (3.16 to 3.07%) decreased linearly as dietary NDF concentration increased. Cows fed dwarf elephantgrass silage or corn silage, which were higher quality forage sources based on greater rates and extents of fiber digestion, consumed more DM and produced more milk than cows fed sorghum silage or bermudagrass silage. Cows fed diets containing sorghum silage had the lowest DMI and milk production. Apparent digestibility of NDF and ADF from corn silage and dwarf elephantgrass silage was greater than that of sorghum silage and bermudagrass silage. In addition to dietary NDF concentration, digestibility of dietary fiber influences DMI and milk production.