Is it possible for large herds to graze while keeping a high milk yield level? The experience of two Belgian dairy farms. ; Est-ce possible pour les grands troupeaux de pâturer tout en gardant une production laitière élevée: l'expérience de 2 fermes laitères Belges.

peer reviewed ; Grazing is more and more abandoned because of increasing size of herds and automation of herd management (e.g. automatic milking system – AMS). In this context, this study aims to evaluate milk production and composition of 2 large Belgian dairy herds equipped with AMS during winter and summer. These herds were followed over 2 years. At grazing, 30% of the offered feed was grass. Milk production in both herds was similar in summer and winter (30.2 ± 7.14 vs 29.7 ± 7.8 ± in Herd 1 and 26.9 ± 0.8 vs 26.4 ± 0.8 in Herd 2) while their milk composition differed. In conclusion, it is... Mehr ...