| Pouring a glass of milk is only a few steps away from pouring a glass of sunshine. Solar energy drives photosynthesis in green plants to produce simple sugars. When these plants are eaten by the cow, those sugars provide energy to rumen microorganisms which, in turn, provide energy to the cow for milk production. On warm sunshiny days, soluble sugars accumulate in plants faster than the plants can use them. At night, photosynthesis does not operate, and there is a loss of soluble sugars. This whole process results in a daily cycling of soluble sugars in the forage. Figure 1 clearly shows the gradual accumulation of plant sugar which builds as the day progresses. The drop in plant sugars occurs sometime after sunset. |
