The contribution of pastures and veld to the feeding of dairy and beef herds in the natal midlands

Abstract

Established pastures in the Natal Midlands provide a very substantial proportion of the roughage requirements of dairy enterprises both in summer and winter. There is some evidence that good pastures, producing high quality roughage, can maintain high herd average yields, and at the same time reduce the cost of feed per kg of milk. However, reducing the feed cost per kg of milk depends on strict control of concentrate supplementation in accordance with animal performance and the quality of pasture on offer.