Current methods to estimate forage intakes for grazing cattle on pasture-based dairy farms, including organic farms, are labor intensive and inaccurate. They generally do not provide sufficient information to allow producers to understand intake in real time, or to be able to respond rapidly to optimize productivity and profitability.
The cost of animal feed and animal health are two of the most important factors in the sustainability of a farm operation. Farmers need tools to assure that their livestock are getting the right results from the right nutrients, from both forage and feed.
Real-Time Tools Make a Difference
Our aim to to help farmers have better access to tools to let them test the role of forage diversity (i.e. diversity of nutritious plants for their animals to eat) in pasture productivity, which will affect rumen activity, and milk composition as well. By helping grass-based dairy farmers improve productivity, reduce costs, and increase net farm income, improved forage utilization and pasture management practices can also affect soil conservation, water quality, and increase ecological services of grass-based livestock production systems.
Project Team
Co-Principal Investigators:
Juan P. Alvez, Pasture Program Technical Coordinator, UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture, 802-656-6116, jalvez@uvm.edu
John Barlow, Assistant Professor, Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 802-656-1395, john.barlow@uvm.edu
Jana Kraft, Assistant Professor, Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 802-656-5489, jana.kraft@uvm.edu
Joe Roman, Research Assistant Professor, Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources, Fellow, Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, 802-656-0517, jroman@uvm.edu
Interested in knowing more about the Center's work or do you have a question we haven't answered here? Contact us via email cheryl.herrick@uvm.edu or 802-656-5459 and we'll do our best to help.
Funder
