Offered Papers Theme C: Delivering the Benefits from Grassland
Description
A model to predict intake and milk production of cows on grazed grass (Grazemore) was developed (Mayne et al., 2004) for farmers to increase reliance on the grassland resources of the farm and reduce the tendency towards intensive dairy production in most countries of the Atlantic Arc of Europe (González, 2003). Climatic conditions and fertiliser use is the basis of the herbage growth model, but under practical conditions the estimation of the nutrient supply to cows is much affected by management, number of cows and the area of each paddock grazed. The intake capacity of the animal and the ingestibility of the feeds drive the herbage intake model, considering cow characteristics, pregnancy, body condition and stage of lactation, as well as supplementation (concentrates and forages) at grazing. The decision support system (DSS) fits both models to farm conditions and it is now at the farm validation phase in the six EU countries involved.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
External Validation in Northwest Spain of a Decision Support System for Grazing Dairy Cows (Grazemore)
A model to predict intake and milk production of cows on grazed grass (Grazemore) was developed (Mayne et al., 2004) for farmers to increase reliance on the grassland resources of the farm and reduce the tendency towards intensive dairy production in most countries of the Atlantic Arc of Europe (González, 2003). Climatic conditions and fertiliser use is the basis of the herbage growth model, but under practical conditions the estimation of the nutrient supply to cows is much affected by management, number of cows and the area of each paddock grazed. The intake capacity of the animal and the ingestibility of the feeds drive the herbage intake model, considering cow characteristics, pregnancy, body condition and stage of lactation, as well as supplementation (concentrates and forages) at grazing. The decision support system (DSS) fits both models to farm conditions and it is now at the farm validation phase in the six EU countries involved.
