Submitted to: Popular Publication Publication Type: Popular
Publication Publication Acceptance Date: February 25, 2010
Publication Date: March 1, 2010 Citation: Soder, K.J. 2010.
Hunger May Affect Grazing Behavior. Graze Magazine. 17(3):12-14.
Interpretive Summary: An interpretive summary is not required.
Grazing behavior can be influenced through feeding and grazing
management decisions. Research at our USDA-ARS lab showed that
ruminal fill, or how ‘hungry’ the cow is, can affect grazing
behavior. Cows that had less ruminal fill took a bigger bite
that was shallow and wide, compared to a ‘full’ cow that took a
deeper, narrower bite from the pasture sward. This was a result
of the ‘hungrier’ cow attempting to harvest the greatest
nutrient density with each bite. Farm goals can be combined with
what is known about grazing behavior to decide when and how to
supplement grazing dairy cows. Pasturing cows directly after
milking may impact grazing behavior differently than if they’re
fed their conserved feeds or co