Abstract
Grazing pasture quality and availability, and grazing animal performance, depend on ecological and weather conditions and grazing management. The latter can be improved by remote monitoring of animals and grazed forage. The aim of this study was to test the ability of a new remote-monitoring system to improve cow and pasture performance. The study used 20 collars for a herd of 40 cows, precision technology to monitor each collared cow’s location and activities 24 h per day, and herd-management system (HMS) software to optimize grazing-land and animal performance. The study covered 4 consecutive years of reproductive cycles and seasonal feed supplements. The selected forage’s metabolizable energy (ME) calculated by the HMS was significantly correlated with the ME calculated by fecal near-infrared spectroscopy analysis (rp = 0.91, p < 0.001). Cows’ daily activities (walking, grazing, resting, and average daily meal duration), energy balance, and forage quality changed with the seasons, mainly affected by the timing, duration, and volume of precipitation. The HMS well identified sickness events, forage quality and availability, cows’ retained energy, and grazing-land stocking rate (2.9 ha/cow). A significant increase in weaning rate along the 5 years of the study (rp = 0.921, p < 0.01) was found.
Highlights
The energy requirements of cow–calf operations worldwide are mostly based on natural grazing pastures that are affected primarily by climate conditions
We found that the cow’s daily grazing time, dry matter intake (DMI), ME intake (MEI), and RE increased with increasing forage metabolizable energy (ME)
Results are presented as means ± SE
Summary
The energy requirements of cow–calf operations worldwide are mostly based on natural grazing pastures that are affected primarily by climate conditions. Wise grazing management at optimal grazing intensity throughout the year can serve to maintain the forage at optimal conditions of maturity (young and productive, i.e., high metabolizable energy (ME) with high biomass production) [1]. It can improve the grazing herd’s energy source for production and improve the grazing land’s ecological status [1]. It can be used to identify predation events, extreme heat load, shortage of water, etc Response to these events can significantly improve herd production and grazing-land production efficiency
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