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.
dairy cow
Models for predicting effects of management factors on per-cow and per-hectare pasture intake by grazing dairy cows
Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Delagarde R., Delaby L., Peyraud J.L. and Faverdin P.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Robust modelling of pasture herbage intake by grazing dairy cows under a wide range of grazing and supplementary feeding strategies allows the better combination of high rates of pasture utilization and nutrition management in dairy systems. The GrazeIn model has been developed from 10 years at INRA (France) from extensive literature review and large experimental databases, and then validated at European level. It allows prediction of the effects of animal characteristics, sward nutritive value, grazing management (grazing system, pasture allowance, pasture mass, daily access time) and supplementation (concentrates and/or forages), along with their interactions, on daily pasture dry matter intake by grazing dairy cows. Grazing management and sward structural characteristics are, however, often unknown on farm. For that reason, a simplified version of the model describing sward state and management through only pre-grazing and post-grazing sward heights has also been developed, allowing easier use of the model for advising or teaching. After a brief description of the two versions of the model, the relative effects of the main factors affecting pasture intake are compared on a per-cow and on a per-hectare basis.
Herbage and milk production from a grass-only sward and grass-white clover swards in an intensive grass-based system
Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Egan M.J., Lynch M.B. and Hennessy D.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
White clover (Trifolium repens L.; clover) can increase the sustainability of grass-based dairy systems and has the potential to increase milk production. This experiment compared milk production from a perennial ryegrass (PRG) sward receiving 250 kg N ha‑1 yr‑1 (Gr250), a PRG-clover sward receiving 250 kg N ha‑1 yr‑1 (Cl250) and a PRG-clover sward receiving 150 kg N ha‑1 yr‑1 (Cl150) in a rotationally grazed system in 2013 and 2014. Three groups of cows were allocated to graze each sward in 2013 and 2014 (n=14 and 19, respectively). Clover inclusion into PRG swards had no effect on the total herbage production. There was a treatment×week interaction on sward clover content; Cl150 had greater clover content in the second half of the grazing year. Treatment had an effect on cumulative milk yield (MY) and milk solids (MS) production. The Cl150 had lower cumulative MY compared to Cl250 (6,055 and 6,343 kg milk cow‑1, respectively); there was no significant difference between Cl150 and Gr250 (6,055 and 5,912 kg milk cow‑1, respectively); and Cl250 had greater cumulative MY than Gr250 (6,343 and 5,912 kg milk cow‑1, respectively). The MS yield of the clover treatments were significantly greater than the Gr250 and were similar between both clover treatments.
Current state of the feeding systems on dairy farms in the Principality of Asturias (Spain)
Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Jiménez-Calderón J.D., Santiago C., Martínez-Fernández A. and Vicente F.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Nowadays, a wide range of dairy farms coexist: from family farms to large-scale dairy farms. In order to determine the feeding systems of the dairy farms in Asturias (Spain), a sample of close to 2% of the total number of dairy farms (2,446) was randomly selected and surveyed. Farms were stratified according to their milk quota into four groups: 500 Mg year‑1. Milk yields in each group were 6,120, 7,525, 7,997 and 9,537 kg cow‑1 per lactation, respectively (P
Duration is important in the effect of pasture allowance restriction on subsequent milk production, in early lactation
Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Kennedy E., Delaby L., Horan B., Roche J. and Lewis E.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
In pasture-based dairy systems, feed supply can be limited in early spring due to inadequate pasture growth. The objective of this experiment was to investigate if different pasture allowances offered to early lactation grazing dairy cows, for different durations, influenced milk production. Cows were offered one of four pasture allowances (60, 80, 100 or 120% of intake capacity) for either 2 or 6 weeks. Once the 2- and 6-week time durations had elapsed, the cows in all treatments were offered 100% of intake capacity. At the end of the first 2 weeks of the experiment, milk yield was significantly different between all four allowances (18.5, 19.8, 21.4 and 23.1 kg cow‑1 day‑1 for 60, 80, 100 and 120% treatments, respectively). During weeks 7-10 there were no differences in milk yield between the 2-week treatments (23.5 kg cow‑1 day‑1). Milk yield of the 60×6 treatment was lower than the 100×6 and 120×6 treatments, but was similar to the 80×6 treatment. The 80×6 treatment was similar to the 100×6 treatment, but different to the 120×6 treatment. The 100×6 and 120×6 treatments were similar to each other. This indicates that differences in pasture allowance imposed for a 6-week period affected subsequent production and the data suggest that in early lactation the effect of pasture allowance on milk yield depends on the amplitude and the duration of the treatment application.
The amount of maize in the feed ration influences milk composition in Northern Spain
Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Santiago C., Jiménez-Calderón J.D., González A., Vicente F. and Martínez-Fernández A.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
The oceanic climate conditions of Asturias (Spain) are favourable for grass and pasture production. However, the use of concentrates in dairy-cow diets has increased in the last decades. The aim was to study the differences in milk composition in the four feeding systems identified in the North of Spain through the monitoring of 16 dairy farms. The criteria to describe feeding systems were: grazing (G) and nongrazing. Moreover, three subgroups were identified within ‘non-grazing’ in terms of the percentage of the usable agricultural area (UAA) designated to maize culture: less than 20% (20M), about 50% (50M) and more than 75% (75M) of UAA. Four dairy farms were selected by their feeding system. Feed and milk were sampled and analysed in summer, autumn and winter of 2014. The results show that the protein, lactose and solids-non-fat in milk were higher (P