Pastures, forages, and grasslands dominate the landscape across the United States and support a large ruminant population that supplies the nation with value-added animal products. A historical perspective is presented of the innovations as they occurred in the Journal of Animal Science over the past 100 yr in pasture and forage research. Consideration was given to both animal and pasture persp...

During pasture grazing, freshly harvested herbage (litterfall) is dropped onto soils from the mouths of dairy cattle, potentially inducing nitrous oxide (NO) emissions. Although the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends accounting for NO emissions from arable crop residues in national inventories, emissions from the litterfall of grazed pasture systems are not recognized. ...

Two, 8-week experiments, each using 30 lactating Holstein cows, were conducted to examine performance of animals offered combinations of total mixed ration (TMR) and high-quality pasture. Experiment 1 was initiated in mid October 2004 and Experiment 2 was initiated in late March 2005. Cows were assigned to either a 100% TMR diet (100:00, no access to pasture) or one of the following three formu...

The studies were conducted on thirty ewes of two genotypes. For each genotype the ewes were divided into two groups: stabling and pasture. The objective of the investigation was to determine the influence of maintenance system on chosen morphological and biochemical blood indicators as well as the parameters of reproduction traits of sheep. In the first year of the studies the ewes of both grou...

The base of this review is to consider the relevant role that animal factors (potential milk yield, body weight, body condition score, state of lactation, parity and fertility) play on milk performance (considering the energy balance and the rumen function across the full lactation curve of animals) and milk quality (milk protein content, milk fat content, milk lactose content, vitamins, minera...

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections have an important negative impact on small ruminant production. The selection of genotypes resistant to these parasitic infections is a promising alternative control strategy. Thus, resistance against GIN is an important component of small ruminant breeding schemes, based on phenotypic measurements of resistance in immune mature infected animals. In th...

Pasture ecosystems may be particularly vulnerable to land degradation due to the high risk of human disturbance (e.g., overgrazing, burning, etc.), especially when compared with natural ecosystems (non-pasture, non-cultivated) where direct human impacts are minimal. Using maximum annual leaf area index (LAImax) as a proxy for standing biomass and peak annual aboveground productivity, we analyze...

323 During pasture grazing, freshly harvested herbage (litterfall) is dropped onto soils from the mouths of dairy cattle, potentially inducing nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Although the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends accounting for N2O emissions from arable crop residues in national inventories, emissions from the litterfall of grazed pasture systems are not recogn...