Managing a dairy farm is challenging, especially with unpredictable weather and ensuring a consistent feed supply. Zero grazing could be an option to consider.
While grazed grass remains the most cost-effective feed for milk production, zero grazing can be a valuable tool in certain situations where grass growth is limited or inaccessible. It provides an option to maintain feed supply, and boost production when grazing options are limited.
What is zero grazing?
Zero grazing involves harvesting fresh grass daily and feeding it to housed stock. It can be a useful option during periods of poor weather, or when seasonal shortages reduce grazing availability.
Advantages of zero grazing
- Maximises grass utilisation: Enhances control over animal diets and reduces feed waste, providing consistent access to high-quality forage.
- Improves grassland productivity: Efficiently utilises available grass, maximising land and livestock productivity, leading to higher milk and meat yields.
- Offers greater flexibility in grazing management: Allows for grass harvesting as needed, enabling precise feeding schedules, regardless of weather or pasture growth rates.
Disadvantages of zero grazing
- Higher capital investment: Requires specialised machinery, increased fuel costs and slurry storage, along with potential contractor charges.
- Labour intensive: Demands more time to manage feed supply and monitor animal health, including frequent grass harvesting.
- Limited feeding windows: Forage must be harvested and fed to livestock promptly to retain freshness and nutritional value.
- Practical challenges: Needs wide passages and feed barriers, which might not suit some farm infrastructures.
Zero grazing advice
Selecting grass mixtures
Selecting grass varieties with high digestibility (DMD) is fundamental for zero grazing systems, as they significantly impact the nutritional quality of the offered herbage.
Choosing species that optimise nutrients can ensure that your livestock receive a balanced, nutrient-rich diet, supporting better health, productivity and overall farm profitability.
Germinal's Top 5 Extend mixture is an excellent choice for zero-grazing. With its high yield potential, particularly in late May or early spring, it ensures a high-quality forage supply.
Timing
Timing is key to maintaining forage quality.
Cutting at the target covers of 1400-1600 kg DM/ha will help ensure high palatability and optimise the quality of the harvested grass.
The DM content and water-soluble carbohydrate content (WSC) content peak in the mid-afternoon in dry conditions, harvesting at this time will minimise spoilage, but this may not be the most practical time to harvest grass for daily feeding.
Best practices for high-quality forage
Remove leftover grass daily to prevent spoilage and ensure fresh grass is provided to livestock more than once a day if needed.
Having appropriate access points to fields is important to minimise soil compaction.
Maintain soil fertility at optimum index 3 for P and K. There will be greater removal of nutrients from zero-grazed swards compared to grazing systems. Frequent soil tests are critical to monitor changes. In general, for each one tonne DM/ha of grass harvested by zero grazing will remove 3 kg P and 25 kg K.
Ask Germinal about zero grazing
Contact our grassland experts today to optimise your zero grazing strategy.