Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Virkajärvi P., Rinne M., Mononen J., Niskanen O., Järvenranta K. and Sairanen A.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
In Finland milk and beef contribute 50% of the agricultural gross return. The growing season is short, 125-180 days, and therefore the indoor period plays a major role relative to the grazing season. This leads to high capital costs for production (winter-proof housing systems, forage and slurry storage, harvesting machinery). Thus, production demand per animal is high and Finnish cows produce ca. 8,000 kg energy corrected milk per cow per year. Milk production is mostly located in central and northern parts of Finland where climate and geology restrict other agricultural land use options. Finnish dairy farms and herds have been small, but there has been a continuous increase in herd size, currently averaging 33 cows per herd. Grass silage contributes 55-60% of the dietary dry matter. Hard winter conditions limit the choice of forage species; the most important are timothy, meadow fescue and red clover. Potential annual grass yield is 9-12 Mg ha‑1, typically harvested 2 or 3 times per season. Silage is mostly prewilted and additives are commonly used. Concentrates typically include barley, oats and rapeseed meal. Grassland covers 32% of the agricultural land and therefore the forage production practices have strong environmental impacts.
animal welfare
The behaviour and production of dairy cattle when offered green pasture or exercise pen
Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Jørgensen G.H.M., Eilertsen S.M., Hansen I. and Aanensen L.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
The aim of the experiment was to investigate the activity and behaviour of dairy cows with access to different outdoor areas. The study took place on two commercial farms with loose-housing and automatic milking systems (AMS). One farm offered 2.8 hectares of green pasture and the other offered a 0.7-hectare exercise pen. Sixty-six percent of the cows with access to green pasture went outside whenever possible. More activity was observed on ‘pasture-days’. Most observations were spent grazing (72.2%). Milk yield was, however, lower (P