Feeding strategies and feed self-sufficiency of dairy farms in the lowland and mountain a rea of Western Switzerland
2014
Ineichen, S. | Piccand, V. | Chevalley, S. | Reidy, B. | Cutullic, Erwan
The feeding strate gy and the feed self-sufficiency of 34 commercial dairy farms in the westernpart of Switzerland were investigated throughout the year 201 O. Feed ration composition offarms from the lowlands with relatively high proportions of maize were compared to farmsfrom the mountain area with relatively high proportions of herbage in the rations. Dairy feedswere categorized into herbage, whole-plant maize and concentrate. The proportions of drymatter (DM), net energy for lactation (NEL) and metabolizable protein (MP) sourced fromherbage, maize and concentrates were calculated. Dairy farms located in the mountain area hadhigher proportions of herbage DM in the ration than farms located in the lowland (70% vs. 51%), as weil as herbage-sourced NEL (66% vs. 47%) and herbage-sourced MP (68% vs. 49%).ln contrast, lowland fanns showed a higher proportion of ma ize DM in the ration (31% vs. 17% ). The degree of self-sufficiency of the total feed ration of mountain farms was shown to belarger for DM, NEL and especially MP. A general negative relationship between the proportionof ma ize DM in the ration and the dairy herd MP self-sufficiency could be observed.
Show more [+] Less [-]Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by Fundamental Library of Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies
