The microbiota of ensiled forages and of bulk tank milk on dairy cattle farms in northern Sweden - a case study

Factors contributing to variations in the quality and mi- crobiota of ensiled forages and in bulk tank microbiota in milk from cows fed different forages were investigated. Nutritional quality, fermentation parameters and hygiene quality of forage samples and corresponding bulk tank milk samples collected in 3 periods from 18 commercial farms located in northern Sweden were compared. Prin- cipal coordinates analysis revealed that the microbiota in forage and bulk milk, analyzed using 16S rRNA...