Abstract

Research suggests that the genetic potential for milksolids (MS) production by New Zealand dairy cows is considerably under-exploited under current grazing conditions. There is also a growing awareness that only small improvements in MS production per cow can be achieved with pasture-only systems on high producing New Zealand dairy farms (i.e. those producing 315kg MS/cow or 1,000kg MS/ha). The review identifies nutritional limitations of a pasture-based diet as one of the barriers to further increases in per cow MS production. It is argued that further increases in per cow production on New Zealand's high producing (in terms of per cow MS production) dairy farms is contingent upon the need to balance the pasture- based diet for protein, carbohydrates, fibre, minerals and vitamins through strategic use of feedstuffs. One of the keys to successfully balancing a pasture-based diet is to obtain better data on the nutritional status of pasture throughout the year so that the most economic feedstuffs which will balance the ration can be identified.

NJ, Edwards, and WJ Parker

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 54, , 267-274, 1994