A 35-day milking experiment was conducted in March 2026 to compare the effects of two forage diets in dairy cows: a multispecies forage system consisting of adjacent monoculture strips of lucerne, ryegrass, red clover, plantain, and chicory, versus a conventional perennial ryegrass/white clover pasture. Twenty-four cows (12 per treatment), balanced by milk production, liveweight, and age, were allocated to one of the two diets.
Cows in mid–late lactation completed a 20-day adaptation period followed by a 15-day sampling period, grazing daily within their assigned treatment.
Measurements included milk production and composition, feed intake, nitrogen excretion (milk and urine), liveweight, and milk metabolomics. Samples of milk, blood, urine, faeces, and forage were collected at the start, mid-point, and end of the trial, with plant material also analysed.
