About the project

Protein amounts 14-15% of dry matter in grass and grass protein constitutes the major part of ingested crude protein (CP) even in diets to high yielding cows. Grass is locally produced, and improved utilisation of grass protein reduces the need for imported protein supplement. In addition will high protein utilisation in grass allow a higher proportion of domestically produced grains in ruminant diets. Thus, the primary objective of the EngProt project is to improve the quality of protein from grassland and thereby increase utilisation of forage protein in ruminant diets, and to ensure usage of Norwegian grown grains. Main focus will be on cost-efficient production that sustain a high silage AAT value. Previous research has shown that wilting and/or application of additives that restrict fermentation and preserve water soluble carbohydrates, prevent proteolysis and improve silage AAT. The increased protein value is not well verified in production experiments.

The ambition of the project is to verify this effect. The four main research areas are: (1) forage characteristic and restrictive silage fermentation, (2) response of restricted fermented silage on milk protein production, (3) rumen protein metabolism of restricted fermented silage and (4) evaluation of the project with respect to economic and environmental sustainability.

The main audience is Norwegian farmers, including animal farmers producing grass silage and farmers producing grain for concentrate. If successful, the project will increase sustainability of Norwegian food production. Thus, in broad sense the targeted audience is Norwegian consumers of milk and meat.

The project is a collaboration between the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Aarhus University (AU), Felleskjøpet Fôrutvikling (FKF), ADDCON EUROPE (ADDCON) and TINE (TINE). The project is lead by NMBU.

• Objectives

  The overall objective of the project is to improve the quality of protein from grassland, which will increase the utilisation of forage protein in ruminant diets and ensure usage of Norwegian grown feeds.

  Important secondary objectives are to:

  • investigate how different options for restricting the fermentation of crops with high and low sugar content affect the AAT-value of respective silages
  • quantify the effect of restrictive silage fermentation by pre-wilting and use of silage additives on the AAT supply and quality in vivo
  • quantify the effect of restrictive silage fermentation by pre-wilting and use of silage additives on milk production in dairy cows
  • to investigate how different strategies to improve silage AAT value will influence profit from dairy farms with differing feed rations and animal performance - quantify the constraints and environmental consequences of improved silage protein value in the Norwegian dairy milk production sector

  
  

Participants

Participants from NMBU

External participants

Håvard Steinshamn, NIBIO, WP leader
Ola Flaten, NIBIO, WP leader
Anne Kjersti Bakken, NIBIO, Researcher
Martha Grøseth, Felleskjøpet Fôrutvikling, Researcher
Mats Høglind, NIBIO, Steering group
Linda Karlsson, Felleskjøpet Fôrutvikling, Steering group
Andreas Millimonka, Addcon, Steering group
Jon Kristian Sommerseth, TINE, Researcher
Ingunn Schei, TINE Researcher
Sophie Kriszan, UiNN/SLU, Researcher
Marianne Johansen, Aarhus Universitet, Researcher