Author
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Satter, Larry |
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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 3/13/2001 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The roots of modern ruminant nutrition and physiology were established in the 1940's. A fairly complete qualitative view of nitrogen metabolism emerged in the 1950's, along with considerable interest in the use of non-protein nitrogen in ruminant diets. Much of the work that Russ Conrad did in the protein area during the 1960's and 1970's dealt with utilization nof non-protein nitrogen. Research on protein nutrition of the ruminant from the 1970's to the present has focused on quantitating the various pathways through which nitrogen is digested and metabolized. The continued price-cost squeeze encountered by dairy producers, coupled with growing pressure to minimize adverse environmental impact of dairying, are forcing us to further increase efficiency of protein use in dairy diets. Our options for achieving this are to: 1) increase the net supply of microbial protein to the intestine per unit of diet dry matter; 2) assure that there is a balance in the amount of rumen undegraded protein and rume degraded protein in the dairy diet-this will in most cases require some use of protein supplements resistant to breakdown in the rumen; and 3) assure that the proper balance of essential amino acids is presented to the intestine through balancing of diet ingredients and possible use of rumen protected methionine. Our goal should be to reduce dietary protein to the minimum necessary for maintaining milk production and profitability, and to the extent possible, shift the route of nitrogen excretion from urine to feces to minimize loss of ammonia to the atmosphere. |