A Survey of Dairy Farms in Pennsylvania Using Minimal or Intensive Pasture Grazing Systems

Parker, W. J.; Muller, L.D.; Fales, S. L.; McSweeny, William T.; Guthrie, L.D.; Bush, L.J.

doi:10.15232/s1080-7446(15)32055-6

Cited by 20 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Berghaus et al (2005) found that the use of pasture decreased the risk of hemorrhagic bowel syndrome in herds with a rolling herd average of 20,000 lbs (9,072 kg) or less, which most MIG herds have. Parker et al (1993) found that herds on pasture had a lower incidence of hoof problems and eye disease relative to herds fed in confinement. Green et al (2007) found that cows on rotated pastures had fewer cases of clinical mastitis relative to cows that were continuously grazed or housed during the dry period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Trends in the Northeast dairy industry: Large-scale modern confinement feeding and management-intensive grazing

Winsten

Kerchner

Richardson

et al. 2010

Journal of Dairy Science

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This paper provides a summary of results from a recent survey of 987 dairy farmers in 4 northeastern US states. The survey results provide descriptive characteristics of the current state of dairy farming in the region, as well as farmer satisfaction levels, concerns, and plans for the future of their farming operations. The paper analyses characteristics of two increasingly important dairy production systems used in the Northeast. Averages from across the survey states (Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont) show that approximately 13% of dairy producers use management-intensive or rotational grazing and 7% use large, modern confinement systems with more than 300 cows. These more specialized production systems show many significant differences in farm and farmer characteristics, satisfaction levels, and plans for the future compared with farms using more traditional production systems. The changing structure of the dairy industry has potentially important implications for environmental quality, rural communities, and the food system.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Trends in the Northeast dairy industry: Large-scale modern confinement feeding and management-intensive grazing

Winsten

Kerchner

Richardson

et al. 2010

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…Grazed herbage is the cheapest food resource for domestic ruminants. Grazing reduces the high inputs of labor, equipment, and fossil fuels associated with confinement feeding of harvested forages and therefore can make a significant contribution to the sustainability of animal agriculture and thus rural communities (Parker et al 1993;Kriegl and McNair 2005). Further, there has been increased consumer interest in food production methods and in the potential nutritional benefits of pastureraised animal products (Clancy 2006;Sooby et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Selection by Domestic Grazing Ruminants in Temperate Pastures: Current State of Knowledge, Methodologies, and Future Direction

Soder

Gregorini

Scaglia

et al. 2009

Rangeland Ecology & Management

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Ruminants grazing mixed-species pastures face many choices, including when and where to graze and how much herbage to consume. These choices affect not only the nutritional status of the animal, but also sward composition and nutritive value through selective defoliation. Limited research has been conducted in the area of dietary selection and preference, most of which has been limited to simple model systems often involving a choice between only two herbage species. Although these studies have provided a vital tool to allow understanding of the fundamental principles of foraging behavior, in reality, grazing ruminants are faced with more complex situations. Understanding and managing animal preferences in mixed swards and thereby altering dietary selection can result in greater primary (plant) and secondary (animal) productivity. Key issues to improve this understanding include a better linking of behavioral and nutritional studies, a better understanding of the genetic factors influencing diet selection, and the development of more explicit spatial models of foraging behavior that incorporate multiple scales of decision making. This article, as part of a set of synthesis articles, reviews the current state of knowledge and research methodologies related to diet selection of grazing domestic ruminants with particular reference to improved temperate grazing environments, including how well we understand each part of the complex decision-making process a grazing ruminant faces, the links with primary and secondary productivity, and developments in methodologies. Finally, we identify key areas where knowledge is lacking and further research is urgently required. Resumen Los rumiantes en condiciones de libre pastoreo tienen diferentes opciones, incluyendo cuando y donde pastorear y cuanto forraje consumir. Estas opciones afectan no sólo el estado nutricional del animal, sino también la composición y valor nutritivo de las especies a través de pastoreo selectivo. La investigación en el área de selección de dieta y preferencia es escasa, y principalmente se limita a un modelo simple de dos especies Estos estudios han proporcionado una herramienta vital para entender los principios fundamentales del comportamiento del pastoreo, en realidad los rumiantes en pastoreo enfrentan situaciones más complejas. Comprender y manejar la preferencia del animal en potreros mixtos, y manipular la selección de la dieta puede resultar en una mayor producción primaria (planta) y secundaria (animal). Algunos elementos claves que ayuden a conocer este proceso son una mejor relación entre estudios de comportamiento y nutricionales, un mayor entendimiento de los factores genéticos que afectan la selección de la dieta, y el desarrollo de modelos espaciales de comportamiento en pastoreo incorporando diferentes escalas en la toma de decisiones. El presente trabajo, como parte de un conjunto de manuscritos, revisa el nivel de conocimiento así como la metodología relacionados con la selección de la dieta por rumiantes en pastoreo con particular ...

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“…Grazing as a form of low input dairy production to maximize profit is increasing in popularity in the United States, and is the mainstay of dairy production in several countries such as Ireland and New Zealand. Herds where cows consume mostly grass forage produce, on average, less milk than their confinement counterparts (Parker et al, 1993;Rust et al, 1995;Kolver and Muller, 1998). However, it has also been documented that the lower costs of production associated with grazing are more than enough to offset this decrease, and maintain or improve farm profitability (Parker et al, 1992;Kriegl, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genotype × Environment Interaction for Grazing Versus Confinement. I. Production Traits

Kearney

Schutz

Boêttcher

et al. 2004

Journal of Dairy Science

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The objective of this study was to investigate the possible existence of a genotype x environment interaction (GxE) for production traits of US Holsteins in grazing versus confinement herds. Grazing herds were defined as those that utilized grazing for at least 6 mo and were enrolled in dairy herd improvement (DHI). Control herds were confinement DHI herds of comparable size in similar regions. The performance of daughters in grazing herds and control herds was examined using linear regression of mature equivalent milk, fat, and protein yield on the November 2000 USDA-DHI predicted transmitting abilities (PTA) of their sires for those traits. Heritabilities and genetic correlations were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood in a bivariate animal model that considered the same trait in different environments as different traits. Product-moment and rank correlations were calculated between sires' estimated breeding values, estimated separately in both environments. For grazing herds, the coefficient of regression of milk, fat and protein on PTA were 0.78, 0.76, and 0.78, respectively. Corresponding coefficients in the control herds were 0.99, 0.96, and 0.98. Estimates of heritability for the traits ranged from 0.2 to 0.25, and differences between grazing and control environments were small. Estimates of the genetic correlations for the traits in both environments were 0.89, 0.88, and 0.91 for milk, fat, and protein, respectively. Within-quartile analyses revealed a lower correlation for milk and protein between the upper and lower grazing quartiles, while the same quartiles for the control herds did not differ from unity. Rank correlation coefficients between sire estimated breeding values from the 2 environments were 0.59, 0.63, and 0.66 for milk, fat, and protein, respectively. The mean rank change for the top 100 sires between the two environments was 27. The regression coefficients indicate that expected daughter differences may be overstated by current sire PTA in grazing herds. Genetic correlations less than unity suggests that there is, at least, some reranking among sires in both environments, while the rank correlations indicate the possibility of sire reranking when evaluations were performed within management system. However, differences are not so large as to justify separate genetic evaluations for each system.

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A Survey of Dairy Farms in Pennsylvania Using Minimal or Intensive Pasture Grazing Systems

Cited by 20 publications

References 2 publications

Trends in the Northeast dairy industry: Large-scale modern confinement feeding and management-intensive grazing

Trends in the Northeast dairy industry: Large-scale modern confinement feeding and management-intensive grazing

Dietary Selection by Domestic Grazing Ruminants in Temperate Pastures: Current State of Knowledge, Methodologies, and Future Direction

Genotype × Environment Interaction for Grazing Versus Confinement. I. Production Traits

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