ABSTRACT
The aim of grazing management is to convert pasture resources to animal product in the most efficient way possible. The height of the surface of the sward is a good indicator of the amount of herbage. The height of the grass has an effect on growth, senescence, and net production. The condition of the sward has a large effect on the performance of grazing cattle. The height of the sward had a large effect on all aspects of animal performance. The taller sward resulted in greater live weight gains in the cows, and in the first period the response to sward height was the same for cows at both stages of lactation. In general for the range of sward densities encountered in the UK, open swards have to be 1 cm to 2 cm higher to achieve the same herbage mass as a close, dense sward.
