Dairy Farmers of America has teamed with New Zealand’s Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) to offer grazing consulting services to U.S. dairy farmers. For more information, click here.
The effort is to provide overall consulting services, from maximizing pasture production to feed budgeting to sire selection, for herds converting to grazing. Farmers can sign up for individual or group consulting packages.
LIC is an A.I. firm, specializing in Holstein, KiwiCross (which is primarily Holstein genetics) and Jersey genetics. LCI also has a number of Red breeds as well. All LCI genetics is geared for grazing, focusing on smaller, sturdier animals with high rates of fertility.
Philip Wicks, LIC American General Manager, says the U.S. industry could someday grow to 10% of its milk supply from pasture-based systems. The southeastern quadrant of the country has great potential to grow a lot of grass; the northern tier of states can produce grass of high quality but only for a shorter grazing period. By combining known grazing technology with available feedstuffs, grazing and partial grazing systems can work into profitable enterprises, he says.
