A survey analysis of farmer practices and perceptions of zero-grazing on Irish dairy farms

Abstract

Zero-grazing (ZG; the mechanical harvesting and feeding of fresh grass) is increasingly used in grassbased milk production systems alongside conventional grazing. It allows farmers to supply fresh grass from land parcels that are outside of the main grazing block during seasonal shortages and periods when climatic conditions limit animal grazing opportunities. The objective of this study was to establish an understanding of current ZG practices on Irish dairy farms, to capture farmer perceptions on the implementation of this management practice, and to identify farmer knowledge requirements on ZG. An online survey was distributed and completed by 130 dairy farmers who use or have used ZG. Zero-grazing was used alongside conventional grazing by 92% of respondents. These farms were particularly fragmented, with between 1 and 14 separate land blocks. Respondents felt ZG helped them overcome fragmentation, increase grass use, and extend grass feeding in spring and autumn. However, extra cost and time input associated with ZG were recognized as key challenges. The majority of respondents rated current technical information available on ZG in the Republic of Ireland as "poor" or "very poor," and knowledge deficits were identified in the areas of cost analysis, grass management and productivity, cow productivity, cow health and nutrition, and soil fertility.

An assessment of herbage mass, ryegrass cultivar and red clover inclusion on sward productivity, quality and morphology under a cutting protocol

“…Low growth rates under winter and sporadic drought conditions mean that pasture supply in late autumn, early spring and mid-summer is often not sufficient to meet herd demand. To overcome this, an increasing number of farmers in temperate regions are choosing to incorporate cut-and-carry into their farming systems whereby fresh pasture is cut and fed directly to housed cows (Holohan et al ., 2021). Typically this is carried out using a tractor and integrated mower-wagon, and enables farmers to increase the quantity of fresh pasture available to the herd throughout the growing season.…”

“…According to a survey conducted by Holohan et al . (2021) farmers who cut-and-carry require further knowledge on pasture productivity and agronomy practices specifically relating to swards used for cut-and-carry. Their survey also found that the pasture management practices being implemented on farms using cut-and-carry was different from that of best practice conventional grazing (O'Donovan and McEvoy, 2016).…”

“…According to Holohan et al . (2021) the two main reasons farmers choose cut-and-carry at higher herbage mass swards were (i) to reduce the distance travelled in the field, particularly when cutting on heavy soils and/or steep gradients, and (ii) to achieve good pasture utilization without impacting cow performance or pasture productivity. While numerous studies (Curran et al ., 2010, 1650–2480 kg DM/ha; McEvoy et al ., 2009, 1780–2360 kg DM/ha; O'Donovan and Delaby, 2008, 2365–3100 kg DM/ha) have investigated the impact of pre-grazing herbage mass on DM intake and milk production of grazing dairy cows, there is little information available in the literature on the effect of varying levels of pre-cutting herbage mass on both pasture production and quality in a cut-and-carry system where grass is mechanically harvested multiple times throughout the year.…”

“…Holohan et al . (2021) highlighted a knowledge gap regarding the identification of suitable sward species for use in cut-and-carry systems. Ryegrass species and cultivars can vary in terms of their morphology (Beecher et al ., 2013), annual and seasonal yield and nutritive value (O'Donovan et al ., 2017), and these are important considerations when selecting the appropriate sward type for cut-and-carry.…”

Historical Evolution of Cattle Management and Herd Health of Dairy Farms in OECD Countries

“…Furthermore, when a nutritionally balanced diet is provided with less variability and higher precision, producers are able to extract the full potential of their animals [ 131 ]. The diet of these animals is highly controlled, and consists of energy rich foods, such as concentrated feed, corn silage, grass, and soy cuts, amongst others [ 132 , 133 ]. On the other hand, pasture-based farms have lower production costs, but with lower yields [ 98 , 131 ].…”