Post by Joann on Feb 7, 2005 15:46:19 GMT -5
Grain vs pasture feeding of dairy cows
What is the difference between grain feeding and grazing (pasture feeding of dairy cattle?
With the renewed interest in dairy products from pasture fed cows, I find that many writers present these as opposed feeding methods, i.e. some herds are in the barn eating grain whereas other herds are out grazing. I see how this confusion could arise among people who don’t themselves own cows.
That grazing on pasture enables cows to produce healthier milk is increasingly well recognized. Also well known is that excessive feeding of grain results in health problems for cows. But there are no dairy cows living on grain alone. Dairies that own pasture always use it. They either send the cows out for part of the day or cut the grass and carry it to the cows as “green chop”, using an enlarged version of a lawn mower with attached grass catcher. Some long fiber as found in grass must comprise a significant part of the diet of every dairy cow. Dairy farmers with insufficient pasture, and in winter when no pasture exists, feed either hay or silage. Silage is made from corn stalks chopped up along with the corn ears and fermented in silos. Grass is often preserved in a similar fashion and is called haylage. Fermentation increases feed value. In smaller dairies, and for individual cow owners, hay is an option.
Large dairies do a balancing act with the cows’ diet whereby they feed a lot of concentrates (grain, soy pressings, cottonseed etc) for calories, and sources of long fiber (grazing, hay, haylage, silage) for milk production and butterfat. Without concentrates high producing cows lack a sufficient energy source for the metabolic task of body maintenance and milk production. Without long fiber not only do milk components suffer, but also rumen acidity (pH) becomes too high and ulcers develop.
Dairymen and family cow owners who choose to pasture feed their cows without offering concentrates also must do a balancing act. While perfectly true that grass is the natural food of the cow, to produce a volume of milk sufficient to make it worthwhile to own a cow, this has got to be very good grass. Little grass of such quality exists on contemporary farmland except where the farmer has worked for years to improve the pasture. Furthermore, in most of the US there is no winter pasture. Cows must stand in the barn and eat hay. Few produce much milk on hay alone. Most will dry themselves off or are deliberately dried off.
There are indeed some parts of the US, England, Ireland and New Zealand where grass grows year round making grazing possible. Even so, the majority of graziers choose to dry off all their cows during the part of the year when grazing is at its poorest.
The motivation to feed grass alone (in warm wet climates) or summer grass/winter hay (in cold climates) derives from
a) Saving a lot of money otherwise spent on concentrates.
b) Saving a lot of time on cow care and giving oneself a three or four month vacation from milking
c) Optimizing levels of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) in milk. Levels of CLA, and of some vitamins, decline when the cow leaves pasture.
For those like myself who prefer higher production and milk throughout the year, there is no other choice than to supplement hay feeding with some form of concentrate. There are many fine options as shared by members of this forum. At some point I too may find it possible to haul and store a personalized organic mix. At present I use a standard commercial dairy feed with 16% protein. I supplement this with kelp (1/2 cup/day) and in winter, vitamin E. I would like to invite readers to once again post their cow feeding “recipes”.
As from time to time in the past, I would like to again urge cow owners who aspire to total grass feeding not to allow attainment of a nutritional ideal to overcome common sense. A cow in a cold climate on hay alone will get very thin. If she is also milking and making a calf she may even die. In summer, her pasture must be sufficiently long and lush to keep her in good flesh. If you want to experiment with total grass feeding, weight tape your cow every week. If she cannot maintain her weight, supplement with alfalfa hay, concentrates, or both.
I very seriously question whether moderate grain feeding as necessary to support weight maintenance and steady production results in milk of inferior quality.
Please anyone, if you have comments to add, please do.
What is the difference between grain feeding and grazing (pasture feeding of dairy cattle?
With the renewed interest in dairy products from pasture fed cows, I find that many writers present these as opposed feeding methods, i.e. some herds are in the barn eating grain whereas other herds are out grazing. I see how this confusion could arise among people who don’t themselves own cows.
That grazing on pasture enables cows to produce healthier milk is increasingly well recognized. Also well known is that excessive feeding of grain results in health problems for cows. But there are no dairy cows living on grain alone. Dairies that own pasture always use it. They either send the cows out for part of the day or cut the grass and carry it to the cows as “green chop”, using an enlarged version of a lawn mower with attached grass catcher. Some long fiber as found in grass must comprise a significant part of the diet of every dairy cow. Dairy farmers with insufficient pasture, and in winter when no pasture exists, feed either hay or silage. Silage is made from corn stalks chopped up along with the corn ears and fermented in silos. Grass is often preserved in a similar fashion and is called haylage. Fermentation increases feed value. In smaller dairies, and for individual cow owners, hay is an option.
Large dairies do a balancing act with the cows’ diet whereby they feed a lot of concentrates (grain, soy pressings, cottonseed etc) for calories, and sources of long fiber (grazing, hay, haylage, silage) for milk production and butterfat. Without concentrates high producing cows lack a sufficient energy source for the metabolic task of body maintenance and milk production. Without long fiber not only do milk components suffer, but also rumen acidity (pH) becomes too high and ulcers develop.
Dairymen and family cow owners who choose to pasture feed their cows without offering concentrates also must do a balancing act. While perfectly true that grass is the natural food of the cow, to produce a volume of milk sufficient to make it worthwhile to own a cow, this has got to be very good grass. Little grass of such quality exists on contemporary farmland except where the farmer has worked for years to improve the pasture. Furthermore, in most of the US there is no winter pasture. Cows must stand in the barn and eat hay. Few produce much milk on hay alone. Most will dry themselves off or are deliberately dried off.
There are indeed some parts of the US, England, Ireland and New Zealand where grass grows year round making grazing possible. Even so, the majority of graziers choose to dry off all their cows during the part of the year when grazing is at its poorest.
The motivation to feed grass alone (in warm wet climates) or summer grass/winter hay (in cold climates) derives from
a) Saving a lot of money otherwise spent on concentrates.
b) Saving a lot of time on cow care and giving oneself a three or four month vacation from milking
c) Optimizing levels of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) in milk. Levels of CLA, and of some vitamins, decline when the cow leaves pasture.
For those like myself who prefer higher production and milk throughout the year, there is no other choice than to supplement hay feeding with some form of concentrate. There are many fine options as shared by members of this forum. At some point I too may find it possible to haul and store a personalized organic mix. At present I use a standard commercial dairy feed with 16% protein. I supplement this with kelp (1/2 cup/day) and in winter, vitamin E. I would like to invite readers to once again post their cow feeding “recipes”.
As from time to time in the past, I would like to again urge cow owners who aspire to total grass feeding not to allow attainment of a nutritional ideal to overcome common sense. A cow in a cold climate on hay alone will get very thin. If she is also milking and making a calf she may even die. In summer, her pasture must be sufficiently long and lush to keep her in good flesh. If you want to experiment with total grass feeding, weight tape your cow every week. If she cannot maintain her weight, supplement with alfalfa hay, concentrates, or both.
I very seriously question whether moderate grain feeding as necessary to support weight maintenance and steady production results in milk of inferior quality.
Please anyone, if you have comments to add, please do.
) in preparation for this summer's effort to establish my own pasture, paddocks, and practices. The whole "grass-fed is best" crew have made many great points and impressed me a lot. However, I'm also aware that here in the High Peaks, if we have decent grass from May-September, we're doing really well. None of the hay available around here seems particularly great. Mostly just plain grass hay. Supplemental feeding is not a choice for me. I look forward to this discussion.
It's been a great ride though.
