Effect of different grazing strategies on dry matter yields and nutritive characteristics of whole crop cereals

Abstract

Forage cereals offer the potential to increase the amount of forage grown and consumed on dairy farms in southern Australia. The effect of single or multiple grazing of winter cereal forages by lactating dairy cattle on dry matter (DM) yield and nutritive value at grazing and on subsequent silage production harvested at the soft-dough stage of growth was determined in three studies in south-western Victoria. In the first two studies, a range of forage cereals and an annual ryegrass were grazed either once (G1) during tillering (GS 2129), followed by locking up for silage, grazed twice (G2) (GS 2129 and GS 3234), followed by locking up for silage, or not grazed (NG) and harvested for silage o..