SILAGE TRIAL
UNIVERSITY of DELAWARE
MYCOGEN bm3 BMR
HIGH FORAGE DIET ADVANTAGE
A study published in the Journal of Dairy Science, February 2015, was completed at the University of Delaware to measure “The effect of hybrid type and
dietary proportions of corn silage on the lactation performance of high-producing dairy cows”1. The hybrids in the study were Mycogen TMF2H699 (nonBMR hybrid - normal) and Mycogen F2F626 (bm3 BMR). Researchers studied the effects of a normal hybrid and a bm3 brown-midrib hybrid at the same
feeding rate, and with another treatment of the bm3 BMR at a much higher level of inclusion.
TABLE 1. DIETS FED
(% of total diet DM)
FEED
NORMAL 35
bm3 35
bm3 50
Normal Corn Silage
35%
bm3 BMR
35%
50%
Alfalfa Haylage
20
20
5
Grass Hay
4
4
4
Cottonseed
3
3
3
Concentrate
38
38
38
Within the concentrates, dry ground corn varied from 12.4# DM (N35) to 7.0# DM (B50),
SBM varied from 1.1# DM (N35) to 4.0# DM (B50) - these two ingredients accounted for
the largest DM differences between concentrate ingredients in each treatment.
TABLE 2. DIET COMPOSITION AND DIGESTIBLITY
Key diet components and apparent total-tract digestibility.
FEED
NORMAL 35
bm3 35
Dry Matter
49 .6%
50 .1%
Crude Protein
16 .4
16 .7
NDF
30. 8
33. 7
Starch
24 .2
22 .7
CP Dig
71 .6b
75 .6a
NDFD
43. 2c
50. 9b
Starch Dig
97 .9b
98 .2ab
a-c
Means within a row with unlike subscripts differ (P <0.05)
bm3 50
49 .6% 16 .1
36.0
22 .7
76 .3a
54.4a
98 .6a
TABLE 3. PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE OF COWS
Effect of hybrid type and diet on production.
FEED
NORMAL 35
bm3 35
DMI lb/day
65 .7lbs
67 .5lbs
Milk lb/day
105. 6b
110. 5a
Fat %
3 .56a
3 .55a
Fat lb/day
3 .75
3 .88
Protein %
2 .90b
2 .93ab
c
Protein lb/day
3 .04 3 .22b
ECM lb/day
103. 8b
108. 5a
Efficiency ECM/DMI
1 .58
1 .61
a-c
Means within a row with unlike subscripts differ (P <0.05)
bm3 50
65 .7lbs
112.7a
3 .37b
3 .77
2 .98a
3 .33a
108.5a
1 .65
The three treatment diets are identified as: Normal 35 - normal corn silage
at 35% of the total diet dry matter, bm3 35 - bm3 BMR at 35% of the total
diet dry matter, and bm3 50 - bm3 BMR at 50% of the total diet dry matter.
Total tract digestibility increased for both bm3 BMR treatments and all
nutrients measured for digestibility in the study. Digestibility of CP, NDF
and starch are listed in Table 2. Higher NDF concentration was seen in
both bm3 BMR diets, proving cows can consume more bm3 BMR NDF
than normal corn silage NDF. Energy-corrected milk (ECM) production was
identical for both bm3 treatments at 108.5 lbs/day.
TABLE 4. MYCOGEN IOFC ANALYSIS
Example IOFC economic analysis based on diet, intake and diet indgredient costs.
ITEM
NORMAL 35
bm3 35
bm3 50
Forage $/day
$4 .06
$4 .35
$3 .77
Concentrate $/day
4 .32
4 .46
4 .84
Total Feed $/day
8 .38
8 .81
8 .62
ECM Value $/day
17 .65
18 .45
18 .45
IOFC $/day
9.27
9.64
9.83
bm3 BMR IOFC Advantage $/day
+$.37
+$.56
Prices used in the above economic analysis: alfalfa haylage $260/DM ton; grass hay
$220/DM ton; normal corn silage $150/DM ton; bm3 BMR corn silage $165/ DM ton;
dry ground corn $150/ton; whole cottonseed $350/ton; SBM 47.5% $375/ton; other
ingredients priced at 4/15 market prices; ECM price for for this IOFC estimate is $17/cwt
BOTTOM LINE:
• “BMR corn silage can be incorporated into high forage diets for high producing
cows at moderate or high levels of inclusion while supporting relatively high
levels of production”.1
• “If corn silage inventories are limiting, feeding a moderate level of BMR to highproducing cows would be sufficient to elicit a positive production response
compared with cows fed a normal corn silage hybrid”. 1
• Economic comparison of experimental diets and performance analysis will vary
according to prices. For the example above, using U of DE diet and production
data, even with high protein prices and moderate corn grain prices, utilizing
Mycogen bm3 BMR at 35% inclusion rates and higher shows very good
economic return and is an excellent feeding strategy to consider for
better margins and potentially better feed efficiency.
Lim, J.M., Nestor Jr., K.E., Kung, Jr. L. “The effect of hybrid type and dietary proportions of corn silage on the lactation performance
of high-producing dairy cows”; J.Dairy Sci. 98:1195-1203, ADSA, 2015. ®Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“DOW”) or an
affiliated company of Dow. ©2015 Mycogen Seeds. Mycogen Seeds is an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC. 0430-15
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