Forage utilization is critical to maximize productivity and profitability of range operations.
Getting the most nutrients possible from the feedstuffs fed to cattle is the heart of Alliance Nutrition’s Year-Round Range Program. To obtain the most nutrients possible from the feedstuffs fed to cattle an understanding of how ruminant digestion occurs is critical. Ruminants have a four-compartment stomach:

• Rumen – large fermentation vat

• Reticulum – fermentation vat and acts as a sieve

• Omasum – acts as a sieve

• Abomasum – true stomach ( corresponds to human stomach)
   

When it comes to feedstuff digestion, the real work is done in the rumen. The rumen is a large organ with a 20-50 gal. capacity. The following functions occur in the rumen:

• Forage digestion and release of nutrients

• Production of microbial crude protein

• Conversion of non-protein nitrogen, such as biuret or urea, into microbial protein

• Absorption of volatile fatty acids

• Production of B vitamins

The rumen has billions of microorganisms (bacteria, protozoa, fungi) collectively called rumen microbes, which break down feedstuffs into useable nutrients for ruminants. For rumen microbes to break down these feedstuffs into useable nutrients they need:

• Minerals – balanced (macro and trace minerals) and complete as well as highly available

• Protein (nitrogen) – continuous, steady supply over 24 hours

• Energy from one of two sources:

1. Fiber►►► Pasture grass, hay, or fibrous byproducts (such as soyhulls)

2. Starch►►► Grain

There are two primary types of rumen microbes: 

1. Fiber-digesting

2. Starch- (grain) digesting

Rumen Microorganisms

To get the most nutrients out of the forages consumed by cattle, a large population of fiber-digesting rumen microbes must be present. If large amounts of grain are fed to pastured cattle, the population of rumen microbes is shifted toward starch-utilizing rumen microbes which cannot efficiently digest fiber, resulting in increased production costs.

The foundation of the Year-Round Range Program is to increase the number and activity of fiber-digesting rumen microbes to get the most nutrients possible out of the forages cattle consume. This goal is attained by supplementing only the nutrients needed to maximize forage utilization without substituting for nutrients already available in forages.