pasture

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

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Spörndly E. and Andersson Å.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
The effect of indoor silage feeding on pasture time was studied in an automatic milking rotary system with batch milking two times daily. The objective was to study how pasture time is influenced by offering only pasture (PP) or both grass silage and pasture (SP) in the barn during grazing hours, in a night-time grazing system, where cows could move freely between barn and pasture during pasturing hours. From 9 June until 18 August, treatments SP and PP were repeated three and two times, respectively in two-week periods using the second week for measurements. During each measurement week, ten animals were fitted with HOBO® loggers that estimated grazing time from head position. Results were analysed in a mixed repeated measurement model using only cows (83) present during all periods. Results showed that animals on treatment PP spent approximately 8.5 hours on pasture with no difference between primi- and multiparous cows. In contrast, cows on treatment SP spent less time on pasture (P

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Spörndly E. and Karlsson M.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
A field study on management during the pasture season was conducted on 20 Swedish farms with at least two automatic milking (AM) units and over 130 cows registered in the official control system. The objective was to compare milk production during indoor and pasture seasons, and to study cow traffic management during the pasture season. Using data from the official monthly control milkings, average yield of milked cows during winter (November-March) and summer ( June-August) seasons were analysed using a mixed model with farm as repeated subject and season as variable. Days in milk and cows per robot were tested in the model but were non-significant. Milk yield was 30.1 and 28.4 kg energy corrected milk in winter and summer season, respectively (P

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Breitsameter L. and Isselstein J.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
We analysed 163 vegetation relevés from grassland plots of 24 conventional dairy farms in Lower Saxony, NW Germany. The sample covered farms with a different magnitude of the contribution of pasture to the roughage ration of the dairy cows: zero-grazing, grazing for 14 h d‑1. At each farm, the sward botanical composition of two plots per existing grassland management type was determined in one quadrat of 25 m2 per plot. Average plot-level species numbers was distinct among types of plot management (P

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Mandaluniz N., Arranz J. and Ruiz R.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Land use and grazing management practices have changed during the last decades as a result of the intensification of traditional pasture-based systems. These changes have potential adverse environmental consequences. Dairy sheep production in the Basque Country has been based traditionally on a pasturebased farming system with a local dairy breed. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of two grazing management regimes, differing in the number of grazing and rest days per paddock, on pasture and dairy sheep production variables. There was no difference in herbage mass or dairy production variables between the two regimes but the regime with the longer rest periods resulted in greater amounts of herbage being harvested for conservation. The longer rest periods could also reduce the carbon footprint and benefit carbon capture by the pastures.

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Nilsdotter-Linde N., Salomon E., Adolfsson N. and Spörndly E.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Increasing herd size often brings major challenges in maintaining dense swards, especially near cow houses. High-quality, trampling-resistant swards are crucial for grazing management, animal welfare and environmental protection. A field experiment initiated in July 2012 (triplicate plots) at Uppsala, Sweden, is comparing four seed mixtures with regard to establishment rate, resistance to trampling and grazing behaviour. The mixtures comprise forage and amenity cultivars of smooth meadow-grass (Poa pratensis) and red fescue (Festuca rubra), with/without inclusions of white clover (Trifolium repens), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). Degree of ground cover was evaluated by spatial analysis of Unmanned Aircraft System photographs (taken May, July, Sept. 2013, April 2014) and field measurements (plants m-2) (August 2012, May 2013). Botanical composition was determined in May 2014. The seed mixture with tall fescue (35% cv. Borneo) established significantly more slowly than other mixtures (P