Relative Times to Max Rate

The relative times for each pool to reach its maximum rate of degradation is important to maintain synchrony of ruminal digestion. Field experience suggests that when the difference between “time to max” for the fast and slow pools exceeds 10‐hours, poor production and/or lower components are likely to result. A wide difference may indicate the need for a more intermediate source of energy, such as dry corn (to slow down the fast pool Kd) or more corn silage and/or higher quality alfalfa/grass (to increase Kd of slow pool).