{"id":3574,"date":"2023-12-22T08:10:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T08:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/?p=3574"},"modified":"2023-12-19T14:21:28","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T14:21:28","slug":"mistletoe-could-help-farmers-kiss-goodbye-to-high-feed-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/mistletoe-could-help-farmers-kiss-goodbye-to-high-feed-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"Mistletoe could help farmers kiss goodbye to high feed costs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It might be famed for kissing under at Christmas, but mistletoe could actually be a key feed ingredient to livestock farmers around the world, according to scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A review of research into true mistletoe (of the Viscum<\/em> species) found it can reduce forage requirements, making it a cost-effective alternative source of protein and minerals for cattle and sheep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, mistletoe species can also offer health benefits to livestock thanks to their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a paper published in the journal Animals<\/em><\/a>, researchers in South Africa said species of mistletoe are used in many semi-arid and arid regions around the world when good quality forage is in short supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with Viscum<\/em> species growing in America, Africa, Asia and Europe, more producers could consider the value the perennial plant could bring to their businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A helpful pest?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Described as semi-parasitic, mistletoe typically grows on the outer crown of a host tree or shrub, but it can also grow directly directly on the tree trunk to tap into the host\u2019s water and nutrient supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because this impacts the host\u2019s quality and development, as well as the tree’s ability to absorb carbon, many farmers attempt clear mistletoe from their land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, allowing livestock to browse the plants can not only help as a biological control, it can also bring health and production benefits to ruminants, the researchers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viscum<\/em> species tend to have a crude protein of more than 80g\/kg of dry matter, meaning it can act as a useful, highly digestible feed alternative \u2014 particularly when grass nutrient quality is in decline, they wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also a good source of minerals including phosphorus, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper, suggesting it can be fed to ruminants without the need for mineral supplementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When eaten in moderation, the species could benefit livestock thanks to their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, and research has also indicated they can increase immune responses in livestock, the researchers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cViscum<\/em> species have the potential to serve as a substitute source of feed for ruminant animals due to their nutritional makeup, medicinal properties, and livestock acceptance,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven though the species does have detrimental impacts, it is advised that mistletoe control management in rangelands be conducted with caution,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoreover, the efforts taken to regulate it should not result in the plant\u2019s total eradication due to the benefits it provides in terms of fodder, medicine and in other areas.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mistletoe could offer livestock farmers a low-cost alternative source of protein and minerals for cattle and sheep.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[542,72,88,457,619,506],"other-categories":[217],"class_list":["post-3574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alternative-feeds","tag-alternative-feed","tag-alternative-feeds","tag-livestock","tag-livestock-production","tag-ruminants","tag-sustainable-farming","other-categories-slider"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3574"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3579,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3574\/revisions\/3579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3574"},{"taxonomy":"other-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farmingfuturefood.com\/feb2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/other-categories?post=3574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}