Behavioral and environmental drivers of dairy performance in alpine grazing cows managed with precision livestock farming technologies

Dairy farming on mountain pastures is a traditional activity that is declining due to the numerous challenges posed by mountain environments. For 2 summer seasons (2024 and 2025), the feeding behaviors of a herd of Bruna breed cows (20 lactating cows in 2024, 8 primiparous and 12 multiparous; 25 in 2025, 8 primiparous and 17 multiparous) on the Italian Alps were investigated, together with milk production, milk composition, pasture quality and availability. Cows grazed rotationally across plots differing in pastoral value (PV), botanical diversity, forage yield, and nutritional composition. Feeding behavior was monitored using RumiWatch halters, while milk yield, composition, BCS, and locomotion score were assessed biweekly. This study evaluated how pasture characteristics, feeding behavior, and animal-based factors influence milk yield (MY) and milk composition. Multiparous cows exhibited higher rumination time and lower eating time than primiparous and secondiparous animals, suggesting more efficient grazing strategies. Rumination showed a positive association with MY, while longer eating time characterized low-producing cows. Moreover, BCS, parity, and rumination were significant predictors of MY and milk composition. Cows with lower BCS produced less milk with reduced fat and protein. Pasture characteristics also affected dairy performance: higher milk production was associated with greater Shannon diversity and the presence of legume species, whereas PV and forage yield showed complex and sometimes inverse relationships with MY. Crude protein content (CP) of the forage had limited influence on milk solids yield. Multiple Correspondence Analysis confirmed that high-producing cows clustered with higher rumination, greater body condition, higher dairy efficiency (kg milk/kg DMI), and higher number of parity, whereas low-producing cows were associated with low BCS, lower rumination, higher eating time, and lower number of parity. Overall, the results highlight that under Alpine grazing conditions, milk production depends on the interaction between feeding behavior, animal status, and pasture features. Precision Livestock Farming technologies, which provide data on behavioral and productive responses of grazing cows and pastures, enable a better understanding of efficiency in mountain farming systems by enhancing grazing management and sustaining dairy productivity in pasture-based systems.