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A Comparison Between Daily Rotational Grazing and Continuous Grazing^1,2

Division of Dairy Husbandry, University of Minnesota, St. Paul

ABSTRACT

An experiment has been described in which four sets of identical twin dairy-cattle have been used to compare daily rotational grazing with continuous grazing pasture management. The experiment was carried out over a complete grazing season from May 18 to August 31, 1951. No supplemental feed was fed.

Conclusions may be drawn only for the weather conditions prevailing during the experiment, which definitely were not normal, and for the pasture mixture studied.

There was little difference in total or weekly animal production, in the form of growth, milk and maintenance resulting from either management system. The area grazed under the daily rotational system yielded nearly three times the production per acre as did that under the continuous system. When T.D.N. in the form of grazing and winter feed are calculated, the daily rotational system resulted in nearly three times the total T.D.N. production of the continuously grazed pasture, which was in the form of grazing only.

Animals grazing an extensive area established definite grazing patterns, overgrazing a small part of the area and allowing the remainder to mature and become weedy.

Animals managed under the daily rotational system were very selective in grazing, selecting for leafy material and against stems and contaminated material.

The necessity of close observation of both the pasture and the animals, to insure adequate intake with a minimum of wastage, in following a system of daily rotational grazing has been emphasized.

Bloat was a problem under both systems of management and has been attributed to the preponderance of alfalfa in the pasture mixture and low roughage intake of the grazing animals.

¹ Scientific Journal Series Paper no. 2800, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.

² Data presented in this paper are from a thesis submitted by A. L. Brundage to the graduate faculty of the University of Minnesota in partial fulfillment of the requirements for theMaster of Science Degree.