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Posted 23 March 2007. Forage and Grazinglands. UW-River Falls’ Researchers Develop Tool to Help Manage and Feed Grazing Animals University of Wisconsin. www.cals.wisc.edu Stevens Point, Wisconsin (March 14, 2007)--Wisconsin farmers have a new tool to help them manage and feed their grazing animals. The “Pasture Forage DMI Calculator” is a computer program developed by University of Wisconsin-River Falls/Extension researchers that calculates how much pasture forage dairy cows consume each day per cow.
Dennis Cooper, UW-River Falls/Extension farm human resource management specialist and Dennis Cosgrove, UW-River Falls/Extension field and forage specialist conducted research over a three-year period on seven Wisconsin dairy farms that employ management-intensive rotational grazing (MIRG) to feed their cows. In the study, pasture forage consumption by grazing dairy cows was estimated using four different methods. Three of the methods – clipping, pasture plate and pasture height - involve measurements of the amount of grass on a small area of land before and after the land is grazed. The fourth method – energy balance - involves calculating the amount of forage the cow must consume to account for her milk production. Cooper and Cosgrove found that of the four methods, the energy balance method was the most consistent and least variable in estimating pasture forage consumption. Their research found that the pasture height method was the least consistent and most variable. In addition, the pasture height method produced much higher intake estimates than the other three. Based on these results, a computer spreadsheet calculator was developed to help farmers use the energy balance method on their individual farms. The “Pasture Forage DMI Calculator” is still being adapted for producers to use and should be ready for them by this spring. The plan is to work with the UW-Extension’s Team Forage and offer the calculator through local county Cooperative Extension offices. Contact: |
