Roughages are an essential but often overlooked part of a cow’s diet. Most of the time, people only focus on things like crude protein, energy, and mineral content. While those are vital for the overall production of cattle, roughages play just as important a role. Consuming a certain amount of roughage is essential to keep the rumen functioning and allow the digestion of things like protein, energy, and minerals.
The rumen, mainly the microbes, needs to be taken care of if the animal is to produce. The purpose of the rumen is to degrade complex structural fibers found in plants. When it does that, it then metabolizes them to make the nutrients that the animal needs. In order to keep them going, the microbes need to be fed just like the animals themselves.
The quality and availability of roughages can have a direct impact on the success of a cattle ranch. Many factors can affect the quality of roughages. Things like rainfall, stage of maturity, and how they are managed can all affect the quality.
