The effects of grazing intensity on herbage consumption and animal production. I. Short-term effects in strip-grazed dairy cows

Greenhalgh, J. F. D.; Reid, Gavin; Aitken, J. N.; Florence, Éric

doi:10.1017/s0021859600067526

Cited by 52 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…This is emphasized by the considerable fluctuation of the intercepts for the individual cultivars with regression analysis. The partial coefficients for PMY ranged from 0.21 to 0.33 which is in agreement with those of Peyraud et al [33], Greenhalgh et al [17], Curran and Holmes [7] and Caird and Holmes [3]. DMI increased by 2.0 to 2.4 kg per 100 kg body weight but did not differ if using experimental or pre-experimental data.…”

Section: Dry Matter Intakesupporting

confidence: 89%

The effect of grass cultivars differing in heading date and ploidy on the performance and dry matter intake of spring calving dairy cows at pasture

et al. 2003

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-The system of milk production in Ireland is dependent on the efficient utilisation of grazed grass. Therefore the use of grass cultivars with different heading dates may have a large effect on dairy cow performance. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of grass cultivars differing in heading date and grass ploidy on milk production and grass dry matter intake (GDMI) of spring calving dairy cows. The study took place over two years. Seventy-two spring calving dairy cows in Year 1 and 80 in Year 2 were blocked into groups of four and were assigned randomly to one of four grass cultivar treatments. The grass cultivars differed in heading date (intermediate or late) and grass ploidy (diploid or tetraploid). The grazing season began in April 12 (Year 1) and April 25 (Year 2) and lasted until the end of September in both years. A total concentrate DM input of 248 kg and 45 kg·cow -1 was offered to the herds in Year 1 and in Year 2, respectively. All concentrate was offered during the first 3 grazing rotations. Rotation had a significant effect (P < 0.001) on all milk production parameters in both years. In Year 1, late heading cultivars significantly (P < 0.05) increased milk yield, solids corrected milk yield (SCM), fat, protein and lactose yield. There was a significant interaction (P < 0.05) between heading date and grass ploidy for lactose yield and fat concentration. In Year 2, late heading cultivars had also increased milk yield (P < 0.01), lactose yield (P < 0.05), SCM (P < 0.05), protein yield (P < 0.001) and protein concentration (P < 0.05). In Year 1, the GDMI was higher (P < 0.001) for cows grazing the late heading cultivars. It is concluded that later heading grass cultivars have a beneficial effect on the milk production performance of spring calving dairy cows.dairy cows / grazing / grass cultivars / intake / milk production 321 Anim. Res. 52 (2003) Résumé -Influence de la date d'épiaison et de la ploïdie de variétés de ray-grass anglais sur les performances et l'ingestion d'herbe chez les vaches laitières au pâturage. En Irlande, les systè-mes de production laitière reposent surtout sur l'utilisation efficiente du pâturage. Dans ces conditions, la date d'épiaison des variétés de ray-grass peut avoir des conséquences sur les performances du troupeau au pâturage. L'objectif de cette étude est de déterminer l'effet de 4 variétés de ray-grass anglais, différant par leur date d'épiaison et leur ploïdie, sur la production laitière et l'ingestion d'herbe chez les vaches laitières au pâturage. Cette étude s'est déroulée durant deux saisons complètes de pâ-turage. Soixante-douze vaches en année 1 et 80 vaches en année 2, vêlant au printemps, ont été mises en lot et affectées à l'un des 4 traitements expérimentaux. Les variétés de ray-grass ont différé par leur date d'épiaison (intermédiaire ou tardif) et leur ploïdie (diploïde ou tétraploïde). La saison de pâtu-rage a commencé le 12 avril (année 1) et le 25 avril (année 2) et s'est s'achevée fin septembre. L'apport total de concent...

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Section: Dry Matter Intakesupporting

confidence: 89%

The effect of grass cultivars differing in heading date and ploidy on the performance and dry matter intake of spring calving dairy cows at pasture

et al. 2003

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“…Herbage intake of grazed ryegrass falls by 2.2 kg/day between the vegetative and the reproductive stage (Greenhalgh et al, 1966). Some effect of age of regrowth is also reported in the case of vegetative swards.…”

Section: Variation Of Nutrient Supply At Grazing Relative To Animal Rmentioning

confidence: 88%

Managing variations in dairy cow nutrient supply under grazing

Peyraud

Delagarde

2013

Animal

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Grazed pasture, which is the cheapest source of nutrients for dairy cows, should form the basis of profitable and low-input animal production systems. Management of high-producing dairy cows at pasture is thus a major challenge in most countries. The objective of the present paper is to review the factors that can affect nutrient supply for grazing dairy cows in order to point out areas with scope for improvement on managing variations in nutrient supply to achieve high animal performance while maintaining efficient pasture utilisation per hectare (ha). Reviewing the range in animal requirements, intake capacity and pasture nutritive values shows that high-producing cows cannot satisfy their energy requirements from grazing alone and favourable to unfavourable situations for grazing dairy cows may be classified according to pasture quality and availability. Predictive models also enable calculation of supplementation levels required to meet energy requirements in all situations. Solutions to maintain acceptable level of production per cow and high output per ha are discussed. Strategies of concentrate supplementation and increasing use of legumes in mixed swards are the most promising. It is concluded that although high-producing cow cannot express their potential milk production at grazing, there is scope to improve animal performance at grazing given recent developments in our understanding of factors influencing forage intake and digestion of grazed forages.

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“…kg of herbage DM per cow per day) (Greenhalgh et al 1966). Daily herbage allowance is more often estimated to ground level or at a cutting height of 4 or 5 cm, assuming that the material below the cutting height is not available for grazing.…”

Section: Herbage Allowancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Herbage allowance is one of the primary factors influencing herbage intake. A number of studies have shown a curvilinear relationship between herbage allowance and herbage intake (Greenhalgh et al 1966;Peyraud et al 1996;Maher et al 2003). On vegetative perennial ryegrass swards, Peyraud and González-Rodríguez (2000) showed that herbage intake increased by 0.25 kg OM per day, per kg increase in herbage allowance ranging between 11 and 16 kg OM per day (above 4 to 5 cm).…”

Section: Herbage Allowancementioning

confidence: 99%

Achieving High Dry-Matter Intake From Pasture With Grazing Dairy Cows

Dillon¹

Fresh Herbage for Dairy Cattle

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Abstract. Due to economic, environmental and animal-welfare constraints, it is envisaged that in the future a larger proportion of the milk produced in temperate regions will be produced from grazed pasture. However, with the selection of modern higher-production dairy cows, increased emphasis on product quality and issues associated with nitrogen leaching, soil compaction, greenhouse-gas emissions and animal welfare, pasture-based systems will also require higher per-animal productivity in the future. This will necessitate the development of grazing systems designed to maximize daily herbage intake per cow, while at the same time maintain a high-quality pasture over the entire grazing season. Daily grass DM intake will be maximized by adhering to important sward characteristics such as maintaining a high proportion of green leaf within the grazing horizon while allocating an adequate daily herbage allowance. Increasing the green-leaf proportion at the base of the sward through appropriate grazing management in early spring may play an important role in increasing herbage intake and making grazing management easier. This requires knowledge of the carryover effect of early-season grazing management on midseason pasture quality and the implication for milk output per hectare. The present plant selection and evaluation systems target improved grass DM yields rather than parameters that influence animal performance. There is a clear requirement for an increased selection emphasis on characteristics that influence animal performance, i.e., herbage intake. This can be best achieved by adopting an interdisciplinary approach with plant physiologists, nutritionists, breeders and evaluators sharing knowledge and resources. Likewise, in the future the cow genotype must be compatible with the system of milk production, and prediction of the phenotypic performance of dairy cattle must be based on knowledge of the cows' genotype as well as the environment in which they are managed. The development of reliable, easy to use decision support tools that facilitate increased reliance on grazed grass, to be used by farmers and extension services, will contribute to optimize animal performance from grazed pasture.

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The effects of grazing intensity on herbage consumption and animal production. I. Short-term effects in strip-grazed dairy cows

Cited by 52 publications

References 12 publications

The effect of grass cultivars differing in heading date and ploidy on the performance and dry matter intake of spring calving dairy cows at pasture

The effect of grass cultivars differing in heading date and ploidy on the performance and dry matter intake of spring calving dairy cows at pasture

Managing variations in dairy cow nutrient supply under grazing

Achieving High Dry-Matter Intake From Pasture With Grazing Dairy Cows

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