Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item Lactation curves for milk, fat and protein in dairy cows under regenerative versus conventional farming practices(Taylor and Francis Grou, 2024-11-10) Moreno-Gónzalez Y; López-Villalobos N; Donaghy D; López IF; MacGibbon A; Holroyd SERegenerative agriculture aims to utilise more diverse pasture species and enhance animal performance through sustainable soil management and pasture quality. This study evaluated the influence of regenerative and conventional farming on dairy cow performance and milk production under different pasture mixes and management strategies. Monthly herd test records were used to model individual lactation curves for daily milk, fat, and protein yield for the 2022–2023 season using random regression with third-order orthogonal polynomials. Total yields were calculated from predicted daily yield. Treatments were SPCM: Standard pasture under conventional management, DPCM: Diverse pasture mix under conventional management, and DPRM: Diverse pasture mix under regenerative management. Total milk yield was similar across treatments, averaging 3370 kg (SPCM), 3649 kg (DPCM), and 3626 kg (DPRM) for the 2022–2023 season. No significant differences were observed in fat, protein, milk solids yield, or milk composition. Cows on diverse pastures, regardless of management approach, showed heavier liveweights than those on standard pastures. DPCM and DPRM cows averaged 474 kg, significantly greater than SPCM cows at 464 kg (P < 0.0001), likely due to longer grazing rotation and higher post-graze mass. These findings suggest that pasture species diversity, regardless the management, enhances liveweight without affecting milk composition.Item Productivity, profitability and nitrogen utilisation efficiency of two pasture-based milk production systems differing in the milking frequency and feeding level(2/02/2021) Correa-Luna M; Donaghy D; Kemp P; Shalloo L; Ruelle E; Hennessy D; López-Villalobos NThe aim of this study was to model the productivity, profitability and the nitrogen (N) utilisation efficiency (NUE) of two spring-calving pasture-based milk production systems differing in milking frequency and intensification levels in New Zealand. For this purpose, physical performance data from a low-intensity production system where cows were milked once per day (OAD-LI) and from a high-intensity production system where cows were milked twice per day (TAD-HI) were employed. OAD-LI cows were milked once-daily with a stocking rate (SR) of 2.1 cows/ha and fed diets with low supplementation (304 kg pasture silage/cow) with applications of 134 kg N fertiliser/ha and TAD-HI cows were milked twice-daily with a SR of 2.8 cows/ha and fed diets of higher supplementation (429 kg pasture silage and 1695 kg concentrate/cow) with applications of 87 kg N fertiliser/ha. The Moorepark Dairy System Model was used to evaluate production, economic performance and N balance on an annual basis. Despite the higher feed costs of TAD-HI as more supplementation was utilised, profitability per hectare was 16% higher because more cows were milked with a higher milk yield per cow (milking frequency) when compared to OAD-LI. At the cow level, the NUE was higher in TAD-HI (30% vs. 27%) reflecting the better balanced diet for energy and crude protein and higher milk yields as a result of milking frequency. At the farm scale the NUE was higher (38% vs. 26%) in the TAD-HI due to the losses associated with the imported feed being excluded and higher N captured in milk. These results suggest that milking frequency, the use of feed supplementation and application of N fertiliser as management tools on grazing dairy systems affect productivity, profitability and N balance. Further studies are required to find optimal stocking rates in combination with the use of supplementary feed and N fertiliser application that maximize milk production and profitability for OAD and TAD milking production systems but minimize N losses.