Abstract
Small-scale dairy systems face reduced availability of water for irrigation of pastures and disruption in the amount or pattern of rains due to climate change, so research on alternative short-cycle rain-fed forages is needed. Grazing reduces feeding costs and small-grain cereals may be an option. The objective was to assess on-farm the performance of dairy cows grazing 6h/day of three small-grain cereals: rye (RYE), wheat (WHT), and triticale (TRT), and supplemented 4.5kg dry matter (DM)/cow/day of concentrate. Twelve Holstein cows were used in repeated 3 × 3 Latin squares with 14-day experimental periods. Pasture variables were analysed with a split-plot design, and economic analysis was performed with partial budgets. Sampling of forage (sward height, net herbage accumulation, botanical and chemical composition of herbage) and animal variables (milk yield and composition, live weight, and body condition score) were at the end of each period. The RYE showed a trend (P > 0.05) for higher net herbage accumulation (NHA) with highly significant differences (P < 0.001) among periods. The RYE had higher DM, a lower crude protein (CP) content (P < 0.05), and no differences for other chemical components between treatments (P > 0.05). The RYE proportion in pasture was consistently higher, whilst the lowest cereal proportion was in WHT. There were no differences (P > 0.05) for any animal variable. The RYE and TRT treatments proved useful as rain-fed forage alternatives under grazing. WHT showed lower crop and economic performance. However, given the higher cereal component in pastures, regrowth potential, and post-grazing herbage mass, as well as better economic performance, the RYE treatment was better ranked by the participating farmer.
Highlights
Small-scale cattle systems improve livelihoods worldwide by increasing simultaneously the assets of farming families and resilience to climatic, health and economic risks (Blümmel et al 2015).In Mexico, over 88% of all farms with cattle are small (INEGI 2018), while small-scale dairy systems contribute more than 30% of the national milk production, and they enable families to overcome rural poverty (Espinoza-Ortega et al 2007).The sustainable intensification of small-scale livestock systems is promoted to improve their contribution to livelihoods, food security, and to reduce the environmental footprint (Makkar 2016; FAO 2017); such intensification enables small-scale farmers to better commercialise their produce and increase their income (Rasmussen et al 2020)
Pasture variables were analysed with a split-plot design, and economic analysis was performed with partial budgets
Additional to climate factors, others that intervene in the final yield of the crops are related to genetics and management
Summary
Small-scale cattle systems improve livelihoods worldwide by increasing simultaneously the assets of farming families and resilience to climatic, health and economic risks (Blümmel et al 2015).In Mexico, over 88% of all farms with cattle are small (INEGI 2018), while small-scale dairy systems contribute more than 30% of the national milk production, and they enable families to overcome rural poverty (Espinoza-Ortega et al 2007).The sustainable intensification of small-scale livestock systems is promoted to improve their contribution to livelihoods, food security, and to reduce the environmental footprint (Makkar 2016; FAO 2017); such intensification enables small-scale farmers to better commercialise their produce and increase their income (Rasmussen et al 2020). Small-scale cattle systems improve livelihoods worldwide by increasing simultaneously the assets of farming families and resilience to climatic, health and economic risks (Blümmel et al 2015). In Mexico, over 88% of all farms with cattle are small (INEGI 2018), while small-scale dairy systems contribute more than 30% of the national milk production, and they enable families to overcome rural poverty (Espinoza-Ortega et al 2007). The sustainable intensification of small-scale livestock systems is promoted to improve their contribution to livelihoods, food security, and to reduce the environmental footprint (Makkar 2016; FAO 2017); such intensification enables small-scale farmers to better commercialise their produce and increase their income (Rasmussen et al 2020). In small-scale diversified livestock-crop systems may provide both high productivity and ecosystem services to mitigate the environmental footprint (Lemaire et al 2014). Water for irrigation is becoming scarce limiting the feasibility of long term pastures, a situation that will worsen due to possible effects of climate change with disruptions in the amount and patterns of rainfall in the highlands of Mexico (Ortiz-Espejel et al 2015)
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