Is it possible for large herds to graze while keeping a high milk yield level? The experience of two Belgian dairy farms

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Lessire F., Hornick J.L. and Dufrasne I.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Grazing is more and more abandoned because of increasing size of herds and automation of herd management (e.g. automatic milking system – AMS). In this context, this study aims to evaluate milk production and composition of 2 large Belgian dairy herds equipped with AMS during winter and summer. These herds were followed over 2 years. At grazing, 30% of the offered feed was grass. Milk production in both herds was similar in summer and winter (30.2±7.14 vs 29.7±7.8 in Herd 1 and 26.9±0.8 vs 26.4±0.8 in Herd 2) while milk their composition differed. In conclusion, it is possible for grazing to be preserved even in large herds without noticeably impact on the herd performance.