Management of grasslands in intensive dairy livestock farming

Summary

By the intensifying of the livestock production with specialised and larger farm units the role of grassland has been reduced. The change in EU policy from a production-oriented marked to a marked where the choice of crop is linked to its added value; grassland has an opportunity to come back. However, the aim for research and farming practice within grassland management should be seen in this new context. The paper reviews different production and management systems, mainly stressed on grazing systems, within intensive dairy farming and aspects of feeding and quality of herbage in order to propose areas of special interest seen in the new context. Farming systems based on homegrown feed, as organic farming and systems based on legumes, need to be further developed. The more experimental research has to be initiated by system-identified problems. It is proposed to work more with supplementary feed in relation to effect of season and also synchronisation of N and carbohydrate degradation in the rumen in relation to milk response and N efficiency. Further, work with time-restricted systems should be highlighted in order to maintain a high pasture intake and reduce the excretion of nitrogen at pasture. Interaction between grassland management and new technology, like automatic milking, will be important in order to keep a high proportion of the dairy cows at pasture.