Farm-gate nutrient balances of grassland-based milk production systems with full- or part-time grazing and fresh herbage indoor feeding at variable concentrate levels

Akert, Franziska; Dorn, Katharina; Frey, Hansjörg; Hofstetter, Pius; Bérard, Joël; Kreuzer, Michael; Reidy, Beat

doi:10.1007/s10705-020-10072-y

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…On an average, the MUN of the system F cows was twice as high as that of the system P cows, whereas differences in estimated urine N excretion were smaller. When put into a greater context of annual farm-gate nitrogen balances of the same farm (Akert et al ., 2020), the difference in NUE between system F (0.33) and system P (0.50) was even more pronounced than found in this study. Different from that, on commercial dairy farms, no such differentiation was found as farms practicing system P showed a much higher fertilizer N input than those applying system F. In spring, a high NUE (above 250 g/kg) was found in both grazing strategies in this study.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 68%

Nitrogen use efficiency, reticulo-ruminal pH and behaviour of lactating cows grazing either in a full-time system or in a part-time system with indoor feeding of fresh herbage and concentrate

et al. 2020

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Increasing herd size and fragmented or non-uniform land challenge pasture-based milk production systems. Therefore, part-time grazing combined with indoor feeding of fresh herbage (‘cut-and-carry’) allows to maintain the advantages of fresh-herbage-based diets. However, consequences for environmental nitrogen losses, animal behaviour and ruminal metabolism are decisive for its implementation. Animal performance, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), reticulo-ruminal pH and feeding/locomotive behaviour were compared in six cows subjected either to full-time grazing (system F) or to part-time grazing system with indoor feeding of fresh herbage and concentrate (system P). Biweekly samplings were performed on six lactating cows per treatment in spring, summer and autumn. Nitrogen (N) balance was calculated from estimated N intake and N output via faeces, urine and milk. Reticulo-ruminal pH was recorded using a wireless data recorder. Eating and locomotive behaviour were measured with noseband sensors and pedometers. In spring, but not later, herbage intake per unit of body weight was higher for system F compared to system P cows. Eating time was shorter by 15% in P compared to F cows. Across systems, NUE declined from spring to summer/autumn from about 300 to 200 g milk protein N/kg N intake. Reticulo-ruminal pH was more variable under part-time grazing conditions, with a pronounced decrease subsequent to offering the herbage indoors. The part-time grazing system resulted in similar or higher NUE than full-time grazing. Additional studies with larger numbers of experimental units are required to be able to develop comprehensive recommendations for the improvement of the two grazing systems.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 68%

Nitrogen use efficiency, reticulo-ruminal pH and behaviour of lactating cows grazing either in a full-time system or in a part-time system with indoor feeding of fresh herbage and concentrate

et al. 2020

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“…The N in animal manures also has a high potential for gaseous N-emissions, during both storage and application depending on time and technique used (Misselbrook et al, 2000). The farm-N surplus can exceed 200 kg N ha −1 year −1 particularly if there is substantial supplementary feeding (Akert et al, 2020). van Grinsven et al (2013) calculated a range of social costs from the impact of reactive N on human health, ecosystems and climate of 10-30, 5-20, and 4-17 e per each kg N emitted in the EU-27 states.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward Specialized or Integrated Systems in Northwest Europe: On-Farm Eco-Efficiency of Dairy Farming in Germany

Reinsch¹,

Loza²,

Malisch³

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Intensive confinement (IC) systems for dairying have become widespread during the last decades. However, potential advantages of alternative systems such as full-grazing (FG) or integrated dairy/cash-crop (IFG) systems with regards to better provision of ecosystem services are widely discussed. To investigate performance and environmental impacts, we compared four prevailing dairy systems using an on-farm research study. The farm types differed in their share of pasture access and quantity of resource inputs: (i) an IC with a high import of supplements and mineral fertilizers; (ii) a semi-confinement (SC) with daytime pasture access during summer and moderate import of supplementary feeds representing the base-line scenario; (iii) a FG based on grazed seeded grass-clover swards with no purchased N-fertilizers and low quantities of supplementary feeds; and (iv) an IFG comparable to FG but based on grass-clover leys integrated in a cash-crop rotation. Results revealed highest milk productivity (16 t energy-corrected-milk (ECM) ha−1) and farm-N-balance (230 kg N ha−1) in IC; however, the highest product carbon footprint (PCF; 1.2 CO2eq kg ECM−1) and highest N-footprint (13 g N kg ECM−1) were found in the baseline system SC. The FG and IFG revealed on average similar forage dry matter yields (10 – 11 t DM ha−1) at similar crude protein and net-energy-lactation ratios per kg DM-intake compared to the IC and SC. The PCF in FG were comparable to IC (0.9 vs. 1.1 kg CO2eq kg ECM−1) but at a lower N-footprint (9 vs. 12 g N kg ECM−1). However, despite low measured N-losses in the FG system, the farm-N-surplus was exceeded by 90 kg N ha−1. A further reduction was only possible in the IFG (50 kg N ha−1) by accounting for a potential N-carry-over from N-rich plant residues to the cash-crop unit, leading to the lowest PCF (0.6 kg CO2eq kg ECM−1) for the IFG, with still moderate milk yield levels (~10,500 kg ECM ha−1). According to this bottom-up approach based on field data, improved integrated grazing systems could provide an important opportunity to increase the ecosystem services from dairy farming, operating with land use efficiencies similar to IC.

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“…As an alternative to herbage conservation and grazing, indoor green-feeding is an established practice in grassland-based dairy production systems during the growing season (Akert et al, 2020). Feeding selection behavior may differ between grazing cows and indoor green-fed cows (Boudon et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding cows with hay, silage, or fresh herbage on pasture or indoors affects sensory properties and chemical composition of milk and cheese

Manzocchi

Martin

Bord

et al. 2021

Journal of Dairy Science

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In European countries, silage-free feeding is an ancient tradition and has a particularly positive reputation among consumers. In the present study, we compared grass-based forages from the same plot conserved as hay or silage or fed fresh either on pasture or indoors, and we evaluated the differences in sensory properties of milk and uncooked pressed cheese. All herbage from the first cut of a grassland dominated by perennial ryegrass was harvested on the same day and preserved either as hay or silage. The first regrowth of the same plot was used for strip grazing or green feeding indoors. Balanced by breed, 24 Montbéliarde and 24 Holstein cows were allocated to the 4 treatments. Apart from the forages, the late-lactation cows received 3 kg/d of dry matter from concentrate. After 2 wk of dietary adaptation, the bulk milk of 3 subgroups, each with 4 cows, was collected. Part of the milk was pasteurized, and part was left raw and partly transformed to small-sized Cantal-type cheese ripened for 9 wk. Milk and cheese underwent descriptive sensory analysis by a trained sensory panel, as well as analyses of physicochemical traits. Volatile organic compounds of the cheeses were also analyzed. Raw and pasteurized milk from hay-fed cows had less intense odors of cooked milk, cream, and barnyard than milk from grazing cows, whereby the effect of pasteurization did not differ between herbage utilization methods. Cheeses obtained from cows fed fresh herbage (grazing and indoors) were clearly yellower than cheeses from silage-and hay-fed cows, which coincided with the color intensity perceived by the panelists. Moreover, cheeses from cows fed fresh herbage had more intense barnyard and dry fruit flavors, were perceived as creamier and having less lactic odor, and exhibited more fat exudation than those from cows fed conserved herbage. Only a few differences were observed in milk and cheeses from hay-fed compared with silage-fed cows, and those differences were far less pronounced than those of milk and cheeses from cows fed fresh herbage. In conclusion, the present study did not substantiate assumptions of clear sensory differences of milk and uncooked pressed cheese from hay-fed compared with silage-fed cows. For the first time, this study reports that the global flavor intensity of cheeses from indoor green-fed cows is similar to that of cheeses derived from cows fed conserved forages, whereas cheeses from grazing cows have the greatest global flavor intensity.

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Farm-gate nutrient balances of grassland-based milk production systems with full- or part-time grazing and fresh herbage indoor feeding at variable concentrate levels

Cited by 13 publications

References 33 publications

Nitrogen use efficiency, reticulo-ruminal pH and behaviour of lactating cows grazing either in a full-time system or in a part-time system with indoor feeding of fresh herbage and concentrate

Nitrogen use efficiency, reticulo-ruminal pH and behaviour of lactating cows grazing either in a full-time system or in a part-time system with indoor feeding of fresh herbage and concentrate

Toward Specialized or Integrated Systems in Northwest Europe: On-Farm Eco-Efficiency of Dairy Farming in Germany

Feeding cows with hay, silage, or fresh herbage on pasture or indoors affects sensory properties and chemical composition of milk and cheese

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