Grazing management strategies for intensive milk production in tropical pastures

Abstract

The intensification of the pasture milk production system is a necessary practice, since in addition to increasing productivity by area, it is possible to make areas available for other agricultural activities. The variable rest period, respecting the plant’s morphophysiological characteristics, has replaced the fixed rest period, traditionally used in rotational grazing systems for decades. Rest periods based on the morphophysiological development of the plant have provided the production of greater amount of forage, consisting mainly of a higher percentage of leaves, which has guaranteed better nutritional value to the ingested forage. Combined with adequate defoliation intensity, this management method has made it possible to obtain greater productivity in the pasture milk production system, enabling the improvement of economic activity rates.