Milk Yield, Milk Composition, and the Nutritive Value of Feed Accessed Varies with Milking Order for Pasture-Based Dairy Cattle

Abstract

(1) Background: Pasture varies in its chemical composition from the top of the sward to the base and cattle prefer to eat the leaf fraction. In pasture-based dairy systems, cattle predominantly walk back to pasture voluntarily after each milking, with the first cattle arriving to pasture hours before the last. Here we study the impact of pasture composition according to milking order on milk yield and milk composition for dairy cattle offered grazed ryegrass pasture. (2) Methods: In the first experiment, individual cow milk yield data were recorded on six farms over 8 months. The herd was divided into groups of 50 cows for analysis according to milking order. In the second experiment, the impact of milking order on milk composition and pasture composition accessed was determined in addition to milk yield on three farms. (3) Results: After accounting for age and stage of lactation effects, cattle milked first in experiment 1 produced, on average, 4.5 L/cow/day (+18%; range 14 to 29%) more than cattle milked last. In experiment 2, dairy cattle milked first (first 50 cows) in farm 1 had greater milk, protein, and solids non-fat (SNF) yield; and less lactose content than those milked last (last 50 cows). In farm 2, dairy cattle milked first had greater milk yield, SNF yield, lactose yield, and fat yield; but less protein and SNF content than cattle milked last. In farm 3, cattle milked first produced milk with greater fat and protein content than cattle milked last. In line with these differences in milk yield and composition, the composition of pasture across vertical strata differed, particularly for crude protein (CP) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) content. Conclusion: This work highlights the opportunity to increase herd nutrient use efficiency for improved milk production through strategic pasture allowance and supplementation strategies.

Keywords: dairy; milking order; pasture; precision farming.

Figure 1

The association between crude protein (CP) (a), acid detergent fiber (ADF) (b), organic matter digestibility (OMD) (c), metabolizable energy (ME) (d), and pasture stratum (in cm) for Farm 1 (black circle), Farm 2 (white circle), and Farm 3 (black square). a: 10.9 + 1.05x, R² = 0.58, p < 0.0001; b: 39.4 − 1.27x, R² = 0.67, p < 0.0001; c: 65.1 + 0.34x, R² = 0.67, p < 0.0001; d: 9.8 + 0.05x, R² = 0.67, p < 0.0001.