Seasonal variation in milk production and cheese yield from commercial dairy farms located in northern Victoria is associated with pasture and grazing management and supplementary feeding practices

Abstract

A study of irrigated pasture-based commercial dairy farms that made use of split calving (two distinct periods of calving; autumn and spring) was undertaken between April 2001 and March 2002 in northern Victoria, to examine associations between herd nutrition, time of year and season of calving and the production and composition of milk. On average, herds that had access to higher digestibility pasture or were fed more cereal grain-based concentrates produced more milk. However, the average marginal yield of 4% fat corrected milk/kg cereal grain-based concentrates was less than responses achieved under experimental conditions in northern Victoria. Herds that calved in autumn had different pr..