More Milk from Grass 5 moved regularly. One day in each paddock will ensure the above conditions, and moving the cows twice a day is even better. Three days in each paddock is maximum, but then the feed intake will be lower. The paddock system ensures the highest feed intake and milk yield per cow. The Importance of High Digestibility Several investigations have shown the value of forage with high digestibility – high concentration of energy per kg dry matter. If the digestibility of organic matter or cell walls is improved by 1 unit (%), the intake of forage dry matter will increase by around 0.2 kg DM per cow per day and the milk yield will grow with 0.25 litres or more per cow per day. Figure 3 shows the theoretical production curve for dairy cows fed only on grasses, when milk yield is related to energy concentration in silage. The yield of milk changes from a very high level when using young grass without stems to zero when using old grass of low quality where all energy from the forage is used for the animal’s basic functions. The digestibility is mainly determined by two factors: Composition of the mixture in the field Time of harvest in relation to grass development Kg milk per cow per day Kg milk produced from forage 3300,0 2255,0 2200,0 50% ear emergence, grasses 1155,0 1100,0 55,0 00,0 10.,19 1 01.,91 1,2 01.,83 1,4 01.,75 1,601.6,7 1,801.,59 2 02.,41 2,2 Energy concentration (Feed Units per kg dry matter) Figure 3. Calculation of the expected milk production when filling factors of the grass/silage and capacity of the rumen are used. Source: Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, National Centre. Clover Means Better Forage Clover brings several benefits to a grass mixture: Higher palatability under grazing More even distribution of the annual production in the field Higher feed intake – both under grazing and in silage More protein in the feed
Download PDF file