FEED ▶▶▶
Increase pasture use: Steps to success
BY TREENA HEIN U
se of pasture can provide many benefits for dairy farmers across the globe. For example, milk quality attributes such as health and naturalness associat- ed with pasture-based feeding systems “are recog-
nised by discerning consumers and are being exploited by producer groups and supermarket chains” note scientists at the University of Bristol and University of Nottingham in Eng- land, who published an extensive analysis of pasture use in December 2019. Professor Marcia Endres at the University of Minnesota in the US adds that while only 5–8% of lactating dairy cattle across the US are on pasture, this may increase due to increased consumer interest in “grass-fed” milk, which pays a premium. Benefits of using pasture also include positive public percep- tion of dairy farming. For example, “a study conducted at the University of British Columbia [UBC] showed that Canadian citizens view outdoor access as an important element for dairy cow welfare,” notes Dr Anne-Marieke Smid, a postdoc- toral researcher at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Cana- da. “With colleagues, I have investigated the preference of free-stall housed dairy cattle for different types of outdoor ac- cess during my PhD at UBC. We found that cows spent 90% of the night on pasture, when given the opportunity.” Pasture use is also easy on the planet because it relies solely or mainly on grass growth instead of growing and/or trans- porting other crops for feed. In addition, depending on man- agement skill and other individual farm factors, it can of course make milk production more cost-effective. Indeed, milk production in Brazil is focused on pasture use because of its low cost. In addition, this year “with great uncertainty for dairy farmers due to the coronavirus pandemic,” according to the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise in Northern Ireland, “it is important to make the maximum use of grazed grass to produce milk at lower cost.” While the benefits and opportunities of pasture use are nu- merous, it seems difficult for many dairy farmers to increase their use of pasture. Pasture use is not feasible, for example, if there are too many cows and limited space, or in parts of the world such as Canada, which has months of heavy rain or snow/cold. Indeed, Smid and her colleagues found that only about 30% of Canadian farms provide lactating cows with
Here we dive into the latest findings on how to increase use of pasture and explore and face the challenges that come with it – while protecting milk quantity and quality. We hear from experts around the world.
access to pasture, and a little less than 60% of Canadian farm- ers pasture their dry cows. She and her colleagues are cur- rently conducting focus groups of Western Canadian dairy farmers to understand their motives when using pasture or other types of outdoor areas on their farm and their per- ceived barriers related to improving outdoor access.
Pasture use challenges There are still other barriers preventing dairy farmers from seizing the benefits of pasture use (recently listed by the team at the University of Bristol and University of Notting- ham), including variable and unpredictable grass growth, low daily grass intake, lower milk output and lower nitrogen (N) use efficiency (more N excretion). However, these scientists note that “opportunities exist to develop novel approaches to grazing management to meet these challenges, including the application of automated techniques for monitoring grazing behaviour and pasture allocation”. They add that “develop- ments in plant breeding also provide potential routes to im- prove animal performance”. Also, grass intake may be boost- ed through the use of certain grass species with higher dry matter (DM) or improved digestibility.
To ensure ade- quate grass in- take, the right amount of fresh grass has to be allocated to the herd, and this requires reliable estimation of the fresh grass allowance.
▶DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 7, No. 3, 2020
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PHOTO: DR CINDY KLOOTWIJK, WUR
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