Intake, Energy Expenditure and Methane Emissions of Grazing Dairy Cows at Two Pre-Grazing Herbage Masses

A grazing experiment was undertaken to assess the effects of two levels of herbage mass (HM) on herbage DM intake (DMI), fat and protein corrected milk yield (FPCM), grazing behaviour, energy expenditure (HP), and methane emissions (CH4) of grazing dairy cows in spring. Treatments were a low HM (1447 kg DM/ha;LHM) or a high HM (1859 kg DM/ha;HHM). Pasture was composed mainly of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata) and lucerne (Medicago sativa), offered at a daily herbage allowance of 30 kg DM/cow, above 5 cm. Eight multiparous Holstein cows were used in a 2 × 2 Latin Square design in two 10-day periods. Despite the differences in pre-grazing HM between treatments, OM digestibility was not different (P = 0.28). Herbage mass did not affect DMI or FPCM. Grazing time was not different between treatments, but cows had a greater bite rate when grazing on LHM swards. However, HP did not differ between treatments. Daily methane emission (per cow), methane emission intensity (per kg FPCM) and methane yield (as percentage of gross energy intake) were not different. The lack of effect of the amount of pre-grazing HM on energy intake, confirms that the difference between HM treatments was beyond the limits that impose extra energy expenditure during grazing.

Forage and breed effects on behavior and temperament of pregnant beef heifers

Background： Integration of behavioral observations with traditional selection schemes may lead to enhanced animal well-being and more profitable forage-based cattle production systems.Brahman-influenced（BR;n = 64） and Gelbvieh × Angus（GA;n = 64） heifers consumed either toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue（E＋） or one of two nontoxic endophyte-infected tall fescue（NT） cultivars during two yr.Heifers were weighed at midpoint and termination of grazing.Grazing behavior（grazing,resting in the shade,lying,or standing without grazing） was recorded（n = 13 visual observations per yr in June and July） for each pasture.During yr 2,exit velocity（EV） and serum prolactin（PRL） were determined.Results： Grazing behavior was influenced（P 0.05） by an interaction between fescue cultivar and breed type.Gelbvieh × Angus heifers assigned to E＋ pastures had the lowest percentage of animals grazing and the largest percentage of animals resting in the shade.Brahman-influenced heifers had faster EV（P 0.001） than GA heifers（0.52 vs.0.74 ± 0.04 s/m,respectively）.Body weight（BW） was affected（P 0.01） by an interaction of tall fescue cultivar and d,and an interaction of tall fescue cultivar and breed type.Heifers grazing NT pastures were heavier（P 0.01） than heifers grazing E＋ pastures at midpoint and termination.Gelbvieh × Angus heifers grazing NT pastures were heavier（P 0.01） than GA and BR heifers grazing E＋ and BR heifers grazing NT pastures.An interaction of forage cultivar and breed type occurred on serum PRL（P 0.01）.Conclusion： Collectively fescue cultivar,EV,and concentrations of serum PRL were associated with grazing behavior.Heifers grazing NT pastures were observed to be grazing more than heifers assigned to E＋ pastures,regardless of breed type,which may have contributed to changes in BW and average daily gain（ADG） in heifers.Integration of behavioral observations along with traditional selection schemes may lead to enhanced animal well-being and more profitable forage-based cattle production systems.

The Space Dissimilation of Stakeholders' Environment Cognitive and Behavior Preference Response in the Area from Returning Fazing Land to Grasslands

The cognition and attitudes of resources environment affect environmental behavior of behavior subject,the changes of attitude and behavior become one of the key factors of influencing harmonious and healthy development of ecological environment. With PRA survey method for obtaining questionnaire data and based on behavior geography and social psychology theory,farming-pastoral,dry grassland,desert grassland, typical project village alpine grassland of returning fazing land to grasslands as an example,with main body cognitive perspective of the aid of resources,the article analyzed space dissimilation of stakeholders environmental cognitive and behavior preference response in the area of returning grazing land to grasslands from ecological environment from policy environment,ecological environment and family economic environment aspects. The results showed that： stakeholders judgment of Grassland degradation in different ecological function area had obvious regularity,the cognitive proportion of Grassland degradation gradually increase from farming-pastora to alpine savanes. The satisfaction from returning grazing land to grasslands showed a changing tendency of reversed U. stakeholders had more strongly negative cognition in the area of dry steppe and desertsteppe. From farming-pastoral to alpine savanes,the economic environment tend to worse situation. Negative environmental behaviors tend to increase,Positive behavior on the contrary.