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WHAT DOES
R.F.V. MEAN, AGAIN? Not
much!!
RFV (Relative Feed Value) is nothing more than a single
number designed to help understand ADF (Acid Detergent Fiber) and NDF (Neutral Detergent
Fiber). RFV is not used directly in mixing dairy rations, so why is it ever reported? That
question remains to be answered.
A few facts to keep in mind --
- RFV is very imprecise. If a forage analysis says RFV = 185,
it could easily be 170 or 200. Sometimes it is worse than this.
- A dairy cow does not benefit much as the RFV goes over 150.
If a dairy uses only one source of hay at a time, hay with RFV = 200 is not worth more
than hay with RFV = 170.
- A dairy that uses several sources of hay may mix very high
RFV hays with hays that are only mediocre. Mixing hay with 200 RFV and hay with 100 RFV
make sense for the dairyman.
For additional information:
Forage Quality Interpretations. OSU
Extension Facts F-2117
Hay Judging. OSU
Extension Facts F-2588
Collecting Forage Samples for Analysis. OSU
Extension Facts F-2589
Minimizing Losses
in Hay Storage and Feeding
Understanding
Forage Quality
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