Distribution of Lignin and uNDFom240

Corn silage had the narrowest distribution for lignin and uNDFom240 (Figure 4), followed by legume silage (Figure 5), and then grass silage (Figure 6). Corn silage has a narrower range for lignin and uNDFom240 because of harvest management practices. Corn silage is much closer in maturity across farms when harvested compared to the range in maturity of grass and legume silages. The timing and number of the cutting, (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) will also change the digestibility of the fiber in the plant and contributes to the wider range of values observed for these forage types (Figure 5 and 6). The narrow range of lignin observed indicates that it is a crude measure of undigestible fiber, while uNDFom240 has a wider distribution and likely a more accurate indication of the variability in the plant population.