A survey analysis of grassland dairy farming in Ireland, investigating grassland management, technology adoption and sward renewal

Abstract

AbstractThe objective of this study was to identify and understand grassland management practices employed on dairy farms in the Republic of Ireland, including grazing‐season length, concentrate‐feed input, uptake of new grassland‐management technologies and frequency and methods of sward renewal. The sample population for the survey was chosen from a proportionate representation of all milk suppliers taken from three of the largest dairy processors in the Republic of Ireland. The sample was subsequently broken down into three stocking rate (SR) and three size categories of milk quota (Qcat) to investigate their effects on the survey variables. Both SR and Qcat had significant effects on the proportion of participants adopting grass‐based technologies and on the amount of supplementary feed offered. Grazing‐season length increased from 228 d in Qcat1 to 249 d in Qcat 3 but was unaffected by SR (241 d; s.d. 3·05). The proportion of the grazing area reseeded annually was significantly affected by SR, increasing from 0·044 to 0·095 of the grassland area as SR increased from SR1 to SR3, with no effect of Qcat (0·068). The results show that on‐farm grass utilization is low, with significant potential for expansion and increased efficiency through increased SRs, greater adoption of grassland‐management technologies and higher levels of sward renewal.