We aimed to evaluate the effects of prepartum supplementation of different I sources (Ascophyllum nodosum [ASCO] meal and ethylenediamine dihydroiodide [EDDI]) on colostrum yield, blood concentrations of glucose, BHB, and thyroid hormones, and growth of dairy calves. Forty multiparous Holstein cows were blocked by lactation number and expected calving date and assigned to 1 of 4 treatments 28 d before parturition: (1) EDDI supplemented (11 mg/d) to a basal diet to meet the NRC (2001) I concentration of 0.5 mg of I/kg of DMI (control = CON [0 g/d of ASCO meal]; actual I concentration = 0.68 mg/kg of DMI); (2) CON plus 57 g/d ofASCO meal (low seaweed supplementation = LSW); (3) CON plus 113 g/d of ASCO meal (high seaweed supplementation = HSW); or (4) CON plus 151.3 mg/d of EDDI formulated to match the amount of I provided by HSW (high EDDI = HEDDI). Forty-one calves were blocked based on their dams' treatments and received 300 g of IgG via colostrum replacer immediately after birth. At 24 h after calving, calves were offered (DM basis) 676 g of milk replacer (25.3% CP, 16.5% fat) until d 49 and 338 g until weaning. Free-choice texturized starter (28.2% CP) and water were offered ad libitum from 24 h to 8 wk of life. Blood samples were collected for analyses of IgG (0 h and 24 h of age), thyroid hormones (d 14, 28, and 56 of age), and BHB (weekly). On d 5 of life, a xylose challenge was conducted by supplementing 0.5 g of D-xylose/kg of BW, with blood samples taken over a 12-h period. Weekly skeletal and BW measurements were also recorded. The concentration of colostral fat was greater in HSW than HEDDI cows, and it tended to increase linearly with ASCO meal supplementation. Although I intake increased linearly with feeding incremental amounts of ASCO meal to close-up cows, the transfer of I from feed to colostrum decreased quadratically. Neither I intake nor colostral I transfer efficiency changed when feeding HSW versus HEDDI. Calves born to HSW dams had a greater initial BW and final hip height, as well as tendencies for greater weekly hip height and final withers height compared with HEDDI calves. Calf BW gain tended to decrease linearly with ASCO meal supplementation. The 24-h apparent efficiency of absorption of IgG tended to increase in HSW versus HEDDI calves. Plasma glucose concentration on d 5 of life decreased linearly in response to incremental levels ofASCO meal. Furthermore, the plasma concentration of biweekly total thyroxin and whole-blood concentrations of weekly BHB and final BHB responded quadratically to ASCO meal, with the lowest values observed for LSW calves. In summary, prepartum supplementation with incremental amounts of ASCO meal to close-up cows did not change colostrum composition. However, feeding HSW versus HEDDI increased colostral fat concentration and initial BW in calves.

Our objectives were to evaluate technical lignins for their antifungal properties against 3 molds and 1 yeast causing hay spoilage, and their ability to preserve ground high-moisture alfalfa hay nutritive value in vitro. In experiment 1, 8 technical lignins and propionic acid (PRP; positive control) were tested at a dose of 40 mg/mL. The experiment had a randomized complete block design (RCBD, 4 runs) and a factorial arrangement of 3 molds × 10 additives (ADV). The effects of the ADV on yeast were evaluated separately with a RCBD. Sodium lignosulfonate (NaL) and PRP were the only treatments with 100 ± 2.8% inhibition of fungi. In experiment 2, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for selected lignins and PRP were determined. At pH 4, NaL had the lowest MIC across the molds (20–33.3 mg/mL) and magnesium lignosulfonate (MgL) for the yeast (26.7) among the lignins. However, PRP had MIC values that were several-fold lower across all fungi (1.25–3.33). In experiment 3, a RCBD (5 blocks) with a 3 (ADV; NaL, MgL, and PRP) × 4 (doses: 0, 0.5, 1, and 3% wt/wt fresh basis) factorial arrangement of treatments was used to evaluate the preservative effects of ADV in ground high-moisture alfalfa hay inoculated with a mixture of the fungi previously tested and incubated under aerobic conditions in vitro. After 15 d, relative to untreated hay (14.9), dry matter (DM) losses were lessened by doses as low as 1% for NaL (3.39) and 0.5% for PRP (0.81 ± 0.77%). The mold count was reduced in both NaL at 3% (3.92) and PRP as low as 0.5% (3.94) relative to untreated hay (7.76 ± 0.55 log cfu/fresh g). Consequently, sugars were best preserved by NaL at 3% (10.1) and PRP as low as 0.5% (10.5) versus untreated (7.99 ± 0.283% DM), while keeping neutral detergent fiber values lower in NaL (45.9) and PRP-treated (45.1) hays at the same doses, respectively, relative to untreated (49.7 ± 0.66% DM). Hay DM digestibility was increased by doses as low as 3% for NaL (67.5), 1% MgL (67.0), and 0.5% PRP (68.5) versus untreated hay (61.8 ± 0.77%). The lowest doses increasing neutral detergent fiber digestibility relative to untreated hay (23.3) were 0.5% for MgL and PRP (30.5 and 30.1, respectively) and 1% for NaL (30.7 ± 1.09% DM). Across technical lignins, NaL showed the most promise as a potential hay preservative. However, its effects were limited compared with PRP at equivalent doses. Despite not having an effect on preservation, MgL improved DM digestibility by stimulating neutral detergent fiber digestibility. This study warrants further development of NaL under field conditions.

In this experiment, we evaluated the effects of sodium lignosulfonate (NaL) and magnesium lignosulfonate (MgL) applied independently at 0, 5, 10, and 15 (g/kg, fresh weight basis) and an inoculant (INO) on high-moisture (DM: 219 g/kg, fresh weight basis) alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.) silage nutrient preservation. The INO consisted of Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactobacillus plantarum applied at a rate of 4.95 and 4.00 log cfu/g (fresh weight basis), respectively. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design (RCBD; 5 blocks) and linear and quadratic polynomial contrasts were used to determine dose rate effects for NaL and MgL and orthogonal contrasts for INO effects. At d 0, increasing NaL dose from 0 to 15 g/kg increased linearly DM (219-227 g/kg) and decreased linearly mold counts (4.48-3.62 log cfu/g; fresh weight basis). No treatment effects were observed on lactic acid bacteria counts (7.04 log cfu/g; fresh weight basis), water soluble carbohydrates (61.5), and aNDF (432 g/kg of DM). After 229 d of ensiling, both MgL and INO increased DM loss ((x) over bar = 13.7 and 13.7 vs 11.3% of DM) due to a lower production of lactic acid ((x) over bar = 75.5 and 78.3 vs 92.3 g/kg of DM, respectively) which resulted in a higher pH relative to untreated silage ((x) over bar = 4.41 and 4.46 vs 4.33; respectively). Increasing doses from 0 (6.42) to 15 g/kg for both NaL (6.90) and MgL (7.06 log cfu/g; fresh weight basis) resulted in linear and quadratic increases of lactic acid bacteria counts, respectively. These counts were also higher in INO treated silages (6.98 log cfu/g; fresh weight basis), relative to untreated silage. Furthermore, both NaL and MgL decreased in vitro ruminal total volatile fatty acid concentration (x = 87.0 and 93.1 vs 97.1 mM; respectively), compared with the untreated silage. The greater acidification in untreated silage prevented additives tested from reducing the generation of NH3-N ((x) over bar = 110 g/kg of N) during ensiling. Overall, none of the additives tested improved the preservation of high-moisture alfalfa silage nutrients beyond what was observed in untreated.

162 Meta-analysis of the effects of preservatives on hay spoilage II: Microbial inoculants. M. Killerby*1, R. White2, D. C. Reyes1, A. Y. Leon-Tinoco1, S. Rivera1, H. Paz3, J. A. Jendza4, and J. J. Romero1, 1Animal and Veterinary Sciences, School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 2Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 3Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, 4BASF, Florham Park, NJ.

The objective was to compare effects of 2 T. reeseienzyme preparations (EFE) on the ruminal planktonic (LIQ) or the weakly (ASO) or tightly (SOL) feed-adhered ruminal bacterial community (fractions; FRC) of lactating dairy cows. The xylanase activities of the moderate (MIX) and high-xylanase (XYL) EFE tested were 10,549 and 26,926 μmol/min per g, respectively and both improved milk production from a dairy cow diet in a previous study. Three ruminally cannulated dairy cows (159 ± 47 DIM) were assigned to Control (CON), MIX or XYL treatments in an experiment with a 3 × 3 Latin square design with 23-d periods. The MIX and XYL EFE were sprayed on the TMR just before feeding at rates of 3.4 and 1 mL/kg of DM, respectively. Bacterial diversity was determined using the 16S rRNA gene (V1-V3 region) and the Illumina MiSeq platform. The data were analyzed with a model that included effects of EFE, FRC, their interaction and random effects of cow and period. The XYL increased (P<0.05) relative abundance (RA, %) of Paraprevotellaceae(5.06 vs. 3.69 ± 0.81), Spirochaetaceae(4.25 vs. 2.46 ± 0.48) and tended (P= 0.11) to increase those of Prevotellaceae(31.8 vs. 24.09 ± 2.82) versus the CON. The MIX decreased (P<0.05) RA of Ruminococcaceae(4.61 vs. 9.09 ± 2.23) and unidentified Clostridiales(4.48 vs. 6.61 ± 1.43), and tended to increase (P= 0.06) that of Succinivibrionaceae(1.91 vs. 0.55 ± 3.43) versus the CON. The SOL had higher RA (P<0.05) of Lachnospiraceae(13.1 vs. 5.93 ± 1.86), Veillonellaceae(8.49 vs. 3.22 ± 1.69), unidentified Clostridiales(6.96 vs. 3.53 ± 1.43), and Spirochaetaceae(3.40 vs. 1.52 ± 0.48) and lower RA for unidentified Bacteroidales(3.48 vs. 9.96 ± 1.49) versus LIQ. The XYL and MIX EFE only tended to reduce the RA of Veillonellaceaeversus that of CON (6.30 and 5.30 vs. 13.9 ± 2.54) in SOL (FRC × EFE; P= 0.07). The MIX EFE had lower phylogenetic diversity versus XYL and CON (48.6 vs. 51.6 and 51.2 ± 1.47; P= 0.03). The weighted UniFrac distance showed only community structure differences between FRC (P<0.01). Both XYL and MIX modified the bacterial community profile and diversity of the rumen fractions.