Yes pretty much. I’m going to caveat that I’m not an expert, but my understanding is that steeper land has nutrient runoff, making the grass poorer quality. Cows making milk need a higher quality of grass than cattle grown for beef, because they are feeding themselves as well as making milk.
Beef cattle are often (if not mostly) run alongside sheep, as the sheep help tidy up the paddocks of the grass and other plants that the cattle won’t eat or can’t eat down low enough. I believe this is important because it helps break the lifecycle of some parasites that can make the cattle sick but don’t hurt the sheep, though again I stress I’m not the expert I just know some people with knowledge or both dairy and sheep/beef.
There’s also the whole energy use of cows going up & down hills and hills make it hard for supplemental feed during winter, and more difficult and damaging bringing the cows in & out of the paddocks every day.
I’m not a farmer either but it has changed a lot in my lifetime.
Tbh I think we’ve gone kind of crazy with the amount of nutrients we’re putting in and the yields we expect from dairy. The environment can’t sustain it forever and it’s a strange thing to rely on for export given our location…
That makes sense. Is it because of terrain?
Yes pretty much. I’m going to caveat that I’m not an expert, but my understanding is that steeper land has nutrient runoff, making the grass poorer quality. Cows making milk need a higher quality of grass than cattle grown for beef, because they are feeding themselves as well as making milk.
Beef cattle are often (if not mostly) run alongside sheep, as the sheep help tidy up the paddocks of the grass and other plants that the cattle won’t eat or can’t eat down low enough. I believe this is important because it helps break the lifecycle of some parasites that can make the cattle sick but don’t hurt the sheep, though again I stress I’m not the expert I just know some people with knowledge or both dairy and sheep/beef.
There’s also the whole energy use of cows going up & down hills and hills make it hard for supplemental feed during winter, and more difficult and damaging bringing the cows in & out of the paddocks every day.
Thanks for the explanation. Makes sense.
I’m not a farmer either but it has changed a lot in my lifetime.
Tbh I think we’ve gone kind of crazy with the amount of nutrients we’re putting in and the yields we expect from dairy. The environment can’t sustain it forever and it’s a strange thing to rely on for export given our location…