Method for Increased Milk Production with Rotational Grazing

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Abstract
One group of cows (top grazers) grazed about half, and a second group (bottom grazers) the remainder of the grazeable herbage. The alfalfa-orchardgrass top grazers'' (high selective grazing) daily fat-corrected milk production was 39.5, 33.1, and 36.0 lb. as compared to 30.7, 27.6, and 27.8 lb. for bottom grazers (low selective grazing) for the 98 days prior to the switchback in 1955, 126 days in 1956 and the last 70 days in 1957, respectively. The milk production of the non-supplemented cows only, was 25, 53, and 49% greater, respectively, for top grazers than the comparable bottom grazers for the above periods. Changes in body weight between the cows due to treatments were not statistically significant. In 1956 the top grazers'' average forage consumption was 33.5 lb. of dry matter (64.4% digestible) as compared to a consumption of 28.5 lb. (61.8% digestible) for bottom grazers.