Five successful strategies for grazing in combination with automatic milking

About 20% of the 17,000 Dutch dairy farms use an automatic milking system. About 50% of them practise grazing while the national average is about 80%. The potential for grazing is related tot the farm infrastructure (here expressed as stocking rate per ha grazing area) and to the personal preferences and experiences of the farmer. Five coherent and promising grazing strategies for farms with automatic milking have been developed. 'Maximum grazed grass' can be used for stocking rates up to 2 cows per ha grazing area; 'Plenty of grazed grass' can be used up to 3 cows; 'Half and half grazed grass' can be used up to 5 cows; 'Grzed grass as supplement' for up to 7 cows and 'Grazed grass as dessert' for up to 10 cows. For each grazing data are provided on stocking rate, grass intake, hours grazing, supplementation, optimal grazing system, farm layout, daily management and on key indicators for personal preferences.