Using post-grazing sward height to impose dietary restrictions of varying duration in early lactation: its effects on spring-calving dairy cow production

AOAC 1995. Official methods of analysis. Volume I, 16th edition, AOAC International, Arlington, VA, USA. R Beaumont, JP Dulphy, D Sauvant, F Meschy, J Aufrere and JL Peyraud 2007. Valeur alimentaire des fourrages et des matieres premieres: tables et prévision Alimentation des Bovins, Ovins et CaprinsQUAE Editions. Institut National de Recherche Agronomique, Versailles, France, pp. 49–180 Berry, 2003, Genetic relationships among body condition score, body weight, milk yield, and fertility in dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science, 86, 2193, 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(03)73809-0 Burke, 2007, Effects of pasture feeding during the periparturient period on postpartum anovulation in grazed dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science, 90, 4304, 10.3168/jds.2006-788 Burke, 2010, Effects of an acute feed restriction at the onset of the seasonal breeding period on reproductive performance and milk production in pasture-grazed dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science, 93, 1116, 10.3168/jds.2009-2562 Coulon, 1991, Variations in milk output and milk protein content in response to the level of energy supply to the dairy cow; a review, Livestock Production Science, 29, 31, 10.1016/0301-6226(91)90118-A Delaby, 1998, Effect d’une réduction simultanée de la fertilistion azotée et du chargement sur les performances des vaches laitières et la valorisation du pâturage, Annales Zootechnie, 47, 17, 10.1051/animres:19980102 Delaby, 2009, Effect of different feeding strategies on lactation performance of Holstein and Normande dairy cows, Animal, 3, 891, 10.1017/S1751731109004212 Dillon P 1993. The use of n-alkanes as markers to determine intake, botanical composition of available or consumed herbage in studies of digesta kinetics with dairy cows. PhD, National University of Ireland, Dublin. Dillon, 1989, Herbage and dosed alkanes as a grass management technique for dairy cows, Irish Journal of Agricultural Research, 8, 104 Dillon, 1995, The effect of calving date and stocking rate on the performance of spring-calving dairy cows, Grass and Forage Science, 50, 286, 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1995.tb02324.x Edwards, 1995, Relationship between vegetation state and bite dimensions of sheep grazing contrasting plant species and its implications for intake rate and diet selection, Grass and Forage Science, 50, 378, 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1995.tb02332.x Faverdin, 2011, GrazeIn: a model of herbage intake and milk production for grazing dairy cows. 1. Prediction of intake capacity, voluntary intake and milk production during lactation, Grass and Forage Science, 66, 29, 10.1111/j.1365-2494.2010.00776.x Finneran, 2012, Stochastic simulation of the cost of home-produced feeds for ruminant livestock systems, Journal of Agricultural Science-London, 150, 123, 10.1017/S002185961100061X Friggens, 1998, Feed intake relative to stage of lactation for dairy cows consuming total mixed diets with a high or low ratio of concentrate to forage, Journal of Dairy Science, 81, 2228, 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(98)75802-3 Ganche, 2013, Direct and carryover effect of post-grazing sward height on total lactation dairy cow performance, Animal, 7, 1390, 10.1017/S1751731113000451 Ganche, 2013, Post-grazing sward height imposed during the first 10-weeks of lactation: influence on early and total lactation dairy cow production and spring and annual sward characteristics, Livestock Science, 157, 299, 10.1016/j.livsci.2013.08.001 Grant, 1981, Components of regrowth in grazed and cut Lolium perenne swards, Grass and Forage Science, 36, 155, 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1981.tb01552.x Holmes, 1992, Grass and Forage Science, 47, 309, 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1992.tb02276.x Hurtado-Uria, 2013, Evaluation of three grass growth models to predict grass growth in Ireland, The Journal of Agricultural Science, 151, 91, 10.1017/S0021859612000317 Ingvartsen, 2000, Integration of metabolism and intake regulation: a review focusing on periparturient animals, Journal of Dairy Science, 83, 1573, 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(00)75029-6 Kennedy, 2008, Effect of herbage allowance and concentrate supplementation on dry matter intake, milk production and energy balance of early lactating dairy cows, Livestock Science, 117, 275, 10.1016/j.livsci.2007.12.025 Kennedy, 2009, Effect of restricted access time to pasture on dairy cow milk production, grazing behavior, and dry matter intake, Journal of Dairy Science, 92, 168, 10.3168/jds.2008-1091 Kennedy, 2005, Effects of grass pasture and concentrate-based feeding systems for spring-calving dairy cows in early spring on performance during lactation, Grass and Forage Science, 60, 310, 10.1111/j.1365-2494.2005.00481.x Kennedy, 2007, The effect of early-lactation feeding strategy on the lactation performance of spring-calving dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science, 90, 3060, 10.3168/jds.2006-579 Kertz, 1991, Dry matter intake from parturition to midlactation, Journal of Dairy Science, 74, 2290, 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(91)78401-4 Lee, 2008, Effect of defoliation severity on regrowth and nutritive value of perennial ryegrass dominant swards, Agronomy Journal, 100, 308, 10.2134/agronj2007.0099 Lewis E, O’Donovan M, Kennedy E, O’Neill B and Shalloo L 2011. Feeding the dairy cow in spring: supplementation requirements and responses. Proceedings of Teagasc National Dairy Conference ‘The Irish Dairy Industry: To 2015 and Beyond’. Cork, Ireland, pp. 71–81. Lowman BG, Scott NA and Somerville SH 1976. Condition scoring of cattle. Bulletin no. 6. East of Scotland College of Agriculture, Edinburgh, UK. MacDonald, 2008, Effect of stocking rate on pasture production, milk production, and reproduction of dairy cows in pasture-based systems, Journal of Dairy Science, 91, 2151, 10.3168/jds.2007-0630 Maher, 2003, Effect of daily herbage allowance on the performance of spring-calving dairy cows, Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research, 42, 229 McCarthy, 2007, Influence of strain of holstein-friesian and feed system on bodyweight and body condition score lactation profiles, Journal of Dairy Science, 90, 1859, 10.3168/jds.2006-501 McCarthy, 2010, Meta-analysis of the impact of stocking rate on the productivity of pasture-based milk production systems, Animal, 5, 784, 10.1017/S1751731110002314 McCarthy, 2012, The effect of stocking rate and calving date on grass production, utilization and nutritive value of the sward during the grazing season, Grass and Forage Science, 68, 367 McEvoy, 2008, The effect of herbage allowance and concentrate supplementation on milk production performance and dry matter intake of spring-calving dairy cows in early lactation, Journal of Dairy Science, 91, 1258, 10.3168/jds.2007-0710 Morgan, 1989, Modified neutral detergent cellulase digestibility procedure for use with the ‘fibretec’ system, Irish Journal of Agricultural Research, 28, 91 O’Donovan, 2005, A comparison of perennial ryegrass cultivars differing in heading date and grass ploidy with spring calving dairy cows grazed at two different stocking rates, Animal Research, 54, 337, 10.1051/animres:2005027 O’Donovan, 2011, Requirements of future grass-based ruminant production systems in Ireland, Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research, 50, 1 Pérez-Prieto, 2012, Pasture intake, milk production and grazing behaviour of dairy cows grazing low-mass pastures at three daily allowances in winter, Livestock Science, 137, 151, 10.1016/j.livsci.2010.10.013 Phillips, 1985, Supplementary feeding of forage to grazing dairy cows, Grass and Forage Science, 40, 183, 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1985.tb01736.x Roche, 2007, Milk production responses to pre-and postcalving dry matter intake in grazing dairy cows, Livestock Science, 110, 12, 10.1016/j.livsci.2006.08.016 Roche, 2006, Holstein-Friesian strain and feed effects on milk production, body weight, and body condition score profiles in grazing dairy cows, Journal of Dairy Science, 89, 3532, 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(06)72393-1 Tuñon G 2013. Improving the use of perennial ryegrass swards for dairying in Ireland. PhD, Massey University, New Zealand, 228pp. Vetharaniam, 2003, Modelling the effect of energy status on mammary gland growth and lactation, Journal of Dairy Science, 86, 3148, 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(03)73916-2 Wales, 1998, Dry matter intake and nutrient selection by lactating cows grazing irrigated pastures at different pasture allowances in summer and autumn, Animal Production Science, 38, 451, 10.1071/EA98043