Table 4.

Lactation length, annual milk yield, milk solids (sum of fat and protein), fat, and protein production, and live weight (LW) and body condition score (BCS; 1–10 scale) values averaged within early (≤100 days in milk), mid (>100 and ≤200 days in milk), and late (>200 days in milk) stage of lactation of dairy cows grazing ryegrass and plantain-based swards in a lower input system (3.5 cow/ha stocking rate and herbage received 150 kg nitrogen/ha/year; LIRG + PL), perennial ryegrass–white clover mix sward in a lower input system (3.5 cow/ha and herbage received 150 kg nitrogen/ha/year; LIRG), or perennial ryegrass–white clover mix sward in a higher input system (5 cow/ha and herbage received 300 kg nitrogen/ha/year; HIRG) in 2017/18 and 2018/19 milking years.

Item	2017/18					2018/19
	LIRG + PL	LIRG	HIRG	LSD	p Value	LIRG + PL	LIRG	HIRG	LSD	p Value
Lactation length (d)	277.5	280.6	276.0	3.25	0.012	257.8	256.5	255.1	7.40	0.723
Annual milk production
Yield (kg/cow)	4823	4752	4571	259.8	0.096	5184	4909	4505	227.5	<0.001
Protein
kg/cow	196.1	196.0	180.9	8.34	<0.001	204.4	195.1	177.3	8.87	<0.001
kg/ha	686.4	685.9	904.3	35.79	<0.001	715.5	682.9	886.5	36.93	<0.001
Fat
kg/cow	254.0	259.7	244.1	13.55	0.042	281.8	273.7	249.1	14.30	<0.001
kg/ha	888.4	909.1	1220.3	57.46	<0.001	986.2	957.8	1245.3	58.94	<0.001
Milk solids
kg/cow	449.9	455.7	424.9	21.22	0.004	486.3	471.1	426.4	22.45	<0.001
kg/ha	1575	1595	2125	90.4	<0.001	1702	1649	2132	93.0	<0.001
LW (kg)
Early lactation	421.4	432.4	443.0	15.1	0.010	458.1	449.3	440.9	13.6	0.042
Mid lactation	455.9	458.1	464.5	13.9	0.379	474.0	461.7	452.0	14.5	0.006
Late lactation	478.7	480.8	481.5	14.3	0.913	483.9	479.7	465.8	14.2	0.015
BCS (units)
Early lactation	4.19	4.15	4.18	0.13	0.767	4.43	4.43	4.39	0.13	0.782
Mid lactation	4.19	4.15	4.21	0.11	0.467	4.37	4.27	4.26	0.10	0.048
Late lactation	4.20	4.22	4.20	0.10	0.921	4.27	4.30	4.28	0.09	0.810