system John Shortall, Bernadette OBrien, Cathriona Foley PhD - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Grazing management in an automatic milking system John Shortall, Bernadette OBrien, Cathriona Foley PhD Student Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Moorepark, Ireland Introduction System Layout


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John Shortall, Bernadette O’Brien, Cathriona Foley

PhD Student Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc Moorepark, Ireland

Grazing management in an automatic milking system

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Introduction

  • System Layout
  • Objectives
  • Grazing Management
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Overall performance
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Section B Section A Section C

00:00 to 08:00 8 hours 16:00 to 00:00 8 hours

AMS

Farm Layout

08:00 to 16:00 8 hours

3-Way Grazing (ABC) System

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Objectives

  • Grow large quantities of grass
  • Utilise as grazed grass
  • Long grazing season
  • Optimise milking frequency
  • Milk 80 cows per robot
  • Milking frequency 1.5 times/day
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Objectives

Only 300 - 400 kg/cow/lactation

  • Grass – Main component
  • f diet
  • Grassland management

is vital

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Grazing Management - Spring

  • Grazing start date: 1st – 10th February
  • Supplementation
  • ~ 3kg/cow/day
  • Reduced as grass growth ↑
  • Grazing techniques during bad weather
  • On/off grazing
  • Back fencing
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SLIDE 7
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Grazing Management -Summer

  • Cow Diet
  • Grass -17.5kg DM/cow/day
  • Concentrate - 0.5kg/cow/day
  • Farm walked weekly
  • 3 grazing blocks managed independently
  • Grass surpluses identified
  • Removed as bale silage
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Pre Grazing Herbage Mass 1200 – 1500kg DM/ha

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Post Sward Grazing Height 4 – 4.5cm

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Summer Grazing – Daily Management

  • Grass allocations
  • 2 sections allocated in morning – B + C
  • 1 allocation in afternoon - A
  • Paddock Sweeping
  • Occurs in morning (Block B+C)
  • Afternoon (Block A)
  • Grazing performance monitored daily
  • Cows back graze if post height >5cm
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Grazing Management - Autumn

  • Manage grass
  • Ensure extended autumn grazing
  • Supplementation
  • Only where necessary
  • Grazing season finish
  • 21st – 30th November
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2014 Performance

  • Days at grass : 283 days
  • Average post grazing sward height: 4.93cm
  • Grass Grown: 14.8 tonnes/DM/ha
  • Milk yield: 4,400 L/cow
  • Milk solids yield: 380kg/cow
  • Concentrate supplementation fed
  • 365 kg/cow
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Thank You & Questions

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