HerbValo – a method for calculating annual pasture utilisation by dairy cows at paddock level - Archive ouverte HAL Access content directly
Conference Papers Year : 2018

HerbValo – a method for calculating annual pasture utilisation by dairy cows at paddock level

Abstract

Better knowledge of pasture utilised by grazing dairy cows (in t DM ha-1 year (y)-1) would help farmers to analyse and improve their grazing management. This is the aim of HerbValo, a generic method designed to be used on commercial farms. This method combines recording grazing or cutting events at paddock level all year round and a spreadsheet for calculating pasture grazed or harvested per rotation and year. For the grazing events, the calculation takes into account the number of grazing days (herd size × residence time) at each rotation and the average daily intake per animal, estimated from a simple description of herd characteristics, supplements, pasture type and quality, and grazing severity. No pasture measurements, such as pre- or post-grazing pasture heights, are required. A large 19-year experimental database (Le Pinau- Haras) was used to calculate the intra- and inter-annual variability of pasture utilisation, according to weather conditions or management practices. Pasture utilisation averaged 9.4 ± 1.32 t DM ha-1 y-1 and ranged from 6.7 to 12.5 t DM ha-1 y-1 depending on paddock, year and management. Using this tool on a number of commercial farms will enable the provision of regional references on pasture utilisation by grazing livestock.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
Delagarde 2018 EGF2.pdf (201.35 Ko) Télécharger le fichier
Format : Poster
Loading...

Dates and versions

hal-01827951 , version 1 (02-07-2018)

Identifiers

  • HAL Id : hal-01827951 , version 1
  • PRODINRA : 434606

Cite

Remy Delagarde, Yvane Robic, Ségolène Leurent-Colette, Luc Delaby. HerbValo – a method for calculating annual pasture utilisation by dairy cows at paddock level. 27. General meeting of the European Grassland Federation (EGF), Jun 2018, Cork, Ireland. ⟨hal-01827951⟩
116 View
75 Download

Share

Gmail Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More