Practical workshop “From pasture to animal health”
The pasture serves as a natural habitat for our cows, providing not only high-quality feed for milk production but also strengthening the animals' health and musculoskeletal system.
Why pasture is good for cattle
In addition to freedom of movement, the soft ground for lying and walking, and the fresh air, pasture also allows cows to enjoy their natural forage. Pasture is a natural habitat for cows, whose musculoskeletal system is optimally adapted to moist soils and soft grassy areas, as well as to rocky terrain. Grazing therefore has a positive effect on the musculoskeletal system and strengthens the animals' resilience.
However, the barn also plays an important role, especially in extreme weather conditions such as extreme cold, heat, or wet weather, which can be detrimental to cows in the pasture. The barn provides cows with shelter from the elements, reducing stress and increasing their well-being. The barn also allows for targeted feeding and health monitoring of the animals. Thus, the barn and pasture complement each other to optimally promote the health and well-being of the cows.
Successful pasture farming
Well-managed pastures provide high forage quality and yields throughout the season while maintaining relatively low feed costs. Just as farms and their production bases vary, so too do pasture implementations vary. Nevertheless, a few basic rules should be observed to ensure the best possible pasture quality:
When determining pasture areas, structural conditions such as the location of the farm must first be considered, as well as site factors such as climate, soil conditions, topography, and vegetation. The calculation is quite simple: The available pasture area determines the proportion of forage that can be consumed on the pasture. This determines the amount of time the cows spend on the pasture each day. The choice of grazing system ensures that the right amount and quality of forage is available throughout the entire grazing period. The regeneration of the vegetation is also important.
If a grazing system is to be optimized, this is usually a long-term process that requires a lot of experience from the farmers and ongoing adaptation to operational conditions.
Practical workshop
In spring 2024, all participants of the practical workshop "From Pasture to Animal Health" focused on grazing strategies and management measures for optimizing pasture management for dairy cows. Many thanks go to the speakers Walter Starz and Johann Häusler from the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, who contributed their extensive knowledge of various pasture systems and types and were able to answer all questions in detail.
For example, did you know…
- that a cow can eat up to 130 kg of fresh grass every day?
- that plants need sunlight, carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) to grow?
- that plants absorb CO2 during photosynthesis and produce carbohydrates (such as cellulose and starch) from the air? And that cows and cattle then reabsorb these in the form of grass or other plant feed?
- that the carbon emitted by cows in the form of methane is known as CO2 comes from the atmosphere?
