Acidosis is the most important nutritional disorder in
feedlots today. Acidosis, which causes cattle to be
stressed, is caused by a rapid production and absorption
of acids from the rumen when cattle consume too much
starch (primarily grain) or sugar in a short amount of
time. As long as cattle are finished on grain, cows are
grazed on cornstalk fields (grain consumption), or high
energy (grain) diets are fed to dairy cows, acidosis will
be an important problem. Cattle evolved digesting
roughage that are fermented slowly in the rumen. The
rumen microbes of forage-fed animal are selected for
fiber digestion. Adjusting cattle to high grain diets from
predominantly forage diets disrupts the normal microbial
environment and precipitates acidosis.