48. Lignin – From pine trees to pastures – What do your grazing animals reckon?

All plants would be green slime growing sideways along the ground if it wasn’t for lignin– True!  Find out more in our latest podcast covering everything from the good, the bad and the ugly about lignin. Learn how lignin impacts overall quality of ruminant feeds, and how feed management decisions change how animals process and digest lignin in their day-to-day diets. Find out how the lignin content of feeds changes with feed type and feed management, and what you can do to reduce intake of lignin in the diet of your sheep, cattle, deer or goats to improve animal productivity.

Here’s where to find the key sections in this our latest podcast talking all things ruminant nutrition.

0.51 Defining lignin

2.00 Just what does lignin mean for sheep, beef, deer and goats?

4.55 Lignin and plant cell walls – holding hands

7.10 If it weren’t for lignin, where would plants be?

7.30 How lignin messes with feed quality for animals

9.50 Plant cell contents aren’t bothered by lignin – why not?

10.35 Lignin, feed digestibility and MJME

12.45 How high is high? Interpreting lignin results as part of feed test results

13.55 Lignin alongside NDF, NDFd, and ADF

15.10 “Book value” lignin results for common New Zealand feeds

17.00 Do zero lignin feeds exist?

17.30 Lignin content of some common “dry” byproduct feeds

20.25 Lignin and NZ pastures

23.30 Plant maturity influences lignin content

26.15 Weather, pasture and forage crops and lignin

31.20 Managing pastures for reduced lignin content

34.05 Plant breeding and lignin, including BMR forages