 may simplify dry cow management and ration composition in many cases.
- Depending on straw cost, rations based on corn silage and straw likely will be no more expensive than the average cost of traditional far-off and close-up diets, and could be cheaper where straw is plentiful. Remember that even when straw appears expensive, it is replacing something else in the diet so marginal cost is the key criterion. Furthermore, total DMI per cow may be lowered by addition of straw, so that feed cost per cow per day can actually be decreased substantially.