sugar cane again (was Re:beet pulp)

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Maryanne, I found a text with a better discussion about sugar cane residues
(bagasse).  It's considered a 'low-quality' roughage (as are all of the
straws)---compared to barley or wheat straw, it's a little lower in protein,
higher in fiber, more or less equivalent in energy and a bit higher in
calcium and phosphorus.  All in all, for all practical purposes, about the
same feeding value.  However, these values were undoubtedly derived from
commercially extracted cane, and personally, I'd still want to at least see
a sample analyzed for sugar content before I would be comfortable feeding
alot of it to horses.  But that's just me.  An analysis wouldn't be hard to
get and if that was okay, no reason why you couldn't use it as a fiber
source just like any other straw, assuming it hadn't been allowed to mold
due to the high moisture content.

Now that you've brought it up, I do remember that there's a ruminant
nutritionist here at CSU, originally from Brazil, doing some post-doc work
and he has mentioned that alot of bagasse is fed to cattle in South America.

hope this helps,
susan g