Economic Analysis of Forage Mixture Productivity in Pastures Grazed by Dairy Cattle

M. A. Sanderson, M. S. Corson, C. A. Rotz, and K.J. Soder

September 2006

Research

The botanical composition of complex forage mixtures can be unstable and may require frequent re-establishment to maintain the desired mixture. The authors used a whole-farm model (Integrated Farming System Model, IFSM) to simulate the costs and returns of establishing five types of pasture with stand lives of 3, 5, or 10 years. They compared four mixtures (two, three, six, or nine species of grasses, legumes, and chicory) and an orchardgrass + N pasture with a 10-year stand life.

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