DRIED FORAGES AND BEEF PRODUCTION*

The vuluntary Intake of dried forage by young cattle rises with increasing D value and with increasing proportions of fine particles in the compressed package (wafer, coh, or pellet). Higher intakes are accompanied hy higher live–weight gains per day and per unit of food consumed. When different amounts of pellets or cobs of dried forage of high D value or protein content are fed with silage of high digestibility, maximum liveweight gains at lowest food cost have been ohtained with 35–50% dried forage in the diet. The dried forage gave results comparable with alternative supplements of energy or protein fed with the same silage. Hie application of the results of short-term experiments in systems of heef production is discussed.