Performances of dairy cows grazing on alpine pasture under a Leaders-Followers system

摘要

At the beginning of the grazing season it is usual to observe, in the mountain regions, a severe drop in milk yield in high producing cows (Andrighetto and Ramanzin, 1987, Zoot Nutr Anim, 13, 119). The present study aims to evaluate in an alpine pasture the Leaders-Followers grazing system (LF) as a management tool to limit this decrease in production. The study was carried out in a commercial farm located in the north-west area of the Italian Alps on an elevation of 1000 m above the sea level. The pasture (23.5 ha), divided into four paddocks, was composed of more than 30 species, mainly grasses (Festuca rubra, Poa pratensis and trivialis) and weeds (Deschampsia caespitosa).