Abstract
A 2-year study compared milk production and profitability for confinement feeding versus rotational grazing. Guernsey and Guernsey x Holstein cows grazed perennial grass pastures from mid-May to October or were fed in confinement. Averaged over both years, confined cows produced 7% more milk; their milk was similar in fat concentration to that of grazing cows. Body weight changes and health of the two groups were similar. Net return per cow averaged $64 higher for rotational grazing than for confinement because of lower costs for feeding, facilities, equipment, and labor. Intensive rotational grazing of pastures is a competitive alternative for dairy cow feeding. However, farmers in the northern U.S. will still require stored feeds from late fall through early spring.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 147-151 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | American Journal of Alternative Agriculture |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1995 |
Keywords
- Voisin grazing
- confinement feeding
- dairy
- intensive grazing