Parker et al. compared the effects of intensive grazing by dairy cattle, on annual herbage utilization, forage and crop production, and net returns, to a drylot feeding system for a typical Pennsylvania dairy farm, using linked spreadsheet models. The decision to change from a stored feeding system to increased pasture grazing is strategic and requires a thorough evaluation of the total farm system. Although the development of the model was restricted by the lack of data for pasture-based dairy systems, the comparison of the grazing system model and confined feeding system model for the dairy herd confirmed the economic advantage of pasture grazing that previously has been reported from farm case studies. The analysis suggests that an average Pennsylvania dairy farm could reduce operating costs by $6000 to $7000 annually through intensive grazing, but overall income would not be improved if production per cow fell by more than about 450 kg per lactation under this herd feeding program. Despite the potential to improve the profitability of dairy farms, the low usage of intensive grazing in the northeastern US is likely to continue until dairy producers become confident that milk production per cow can be maintained at a level similar to that for confined feeding or that the relative price of concentrates,stored forage, and pasture change to favor grazing more.
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