Does processing and chopping of low-quality forage impact gestating beef cow performance and enteric methane emissions?

The objective of this study was to investigate the use of bale processing technology for low-quality forage and its impact on cow performance, digestibility, feed intake, sorting behaviour, and enteric methane in gestating beef cows. Eighty-two multiparous Angus cows were enrolled 89 ± 18 days before calving and randomly assigned to a dietary treatment of short wheat straw (SS: ~ 5 cm) or long wheat straw (LS: ~ 18 cm). SS-fed cows tended to have higher dry matter intake and sorted less against larger particles. SS cows were able to maintain higher levels of rib fat deposition during late gestation and had indications of higher digestibility of dry matter, total digestible nutrients, and starch. No difference in daily methane yield (g/kg DMI) was detected. This work provides support for the chopping of low-quality forages to help maintain animal performance and feed intake, while reducing sorting behaviour of gestating beef cows