Some critical points of dairy farming based on grazing compared to indoor feeding systems

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Nagy G., Felföldi J. and Vántus A.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Grazing is not currently a common practice on dairy farms in Hungary. There are several possible reasons for this situation: the necessary conditions are not available for grazing, or technical considerations about grazing are not favourable in practice. These questions were investigated on two dairy farms through farm visits and technical interviews. Farm 1 has grazing, whereas Farm 2, which used to graze its animals, currently does not graze but there are plans to establish pasture for grazing. The main results of the investigations are as follows: neither farm has enough pasture/land area available to meet the requirements of grazing; the period of adequate grass growth/supply is relatively short, it is a maximum of two months in the beginning of spring; the nutritive value of grass decreases sharply in spring, and for this reason only animals requiring less-intensive feeding can be grazed (dry cows, heifers and perhaps low yield cows); grazing can result in remarkable savings in terms of inputs and costs; grazing does not need specific labour, and staff currently on the farms can manage grazing at the necessary technical level; the safety of outdoor animals from theft were not considered to be an obstacle to grazing on the farms.