Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 7.3 High milk yield can be obtained from large
amounts of pasture and silage of high quality
Organic dairy production can be combined with high milk production, based on cows with
high genetic merit and
ad
libitum
feeding of roughage as silage or pasture (Mogensen and
Kristensen 1999, Nicholas
et
al
. 2004). The marginal effect on milk production of increasing
amounts of concentrates is often low, when high quality roughage is fed
ad
libitum
. This
was confirmed in a long-term experiment by Sehested
et
al
. (2003), where milk production
increased only 0.73 kg milk/kg extra dry matter of concentrates.
An example of feeding and resulting milk production in a Danish organic herd with all
year round calving is shown in Figure 7.2. The average herd production was 9000 kg
milk. Daily feed intake and milk production is averaged for all cows (lactating and dry) in
the herd.
Concentrates
Grain
25
30
Pasture
Silage
Milk yield
20
24
15
18
10
12
5
6
0
0
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Figure 7.2
An example of feeding a mixture of concentrates, pasture, grain and silage and
resulting milk production in a Danish organic herd with all year-round calving.
In any farming system, it is the responsibility of the farmer to ensure that no animals suffer,
and that they have sufficient feed and water. In organic farming, because the goals for animal
health and welfare emphasises 'naturalness', there is the further obligation to ensure that animals
have their natural and species-specific needs fulfilled as far as possible. This adds some specific
demands to the daily as well as the strategic management of the animals and the herd (Vaarst
et
al
. 2004b). Letting animals live a flock life and an outdoor life means adding risks to their lives
compared to a 'safe and uncomplicated life' such as in individual housing or cage systems, where
inspection is easier. In addition to the importance in disease management to intervene immedi-
ately when necessary, the farmer develops a specific role for the human care-taker, in the organic
herd on the strategic level. The farmer creates a framework for the animals that allows them to
live a life where natural needs are fulfilled to a large extent, and on the daily management level to
work within this framework by inspecting the animals and their surroundings carefully, but only
intervening and 'becoming visible' when there is some kind of crisis.
