Milk Matters
COWMAN’S TIPS
March 2016 / Inside this issue:
FRESH GRASS OPPORTUNITIES
Cashing in on grass
MAINTAINING MILK SOLIDS AT GRASS
Stage manage;
DENDOLDRUM DIARY
Cows in later lactation 150 days + calved and confirmed in calf.
COWMAN’S TIPS / HUGH KERR APPOINTMENT
1. Make sure mineral feeding is adjusted
2. Get onto grass early, before growth is adequate
3. Late lactation cows out for 2-4 hours per day as soon as ground
conditions allow
Hugh Kerr
4. Late lactation cows out after morning milking when sufficient
quantity of grass is available
5. Late lactation cows given silage as is necessary depending on
grass growth
6. When grass cover is adequate stop feeding silage to late lactation
cows
These are the cows that are best set up to optimise grass utilisation
and reduce the cost of milk production without jeopardising their
milk contract.
Fresh calved cows and cows in early part of lactation are best
considered for grazing after first cut silage regrowth.
This allows us to achieve four main aims:
1. Reduce milk production costs
2. Maximise first cut silage tonnage for next winter
3. Manage cows to maintain fertility and milk solids
4. Kgs of fat and protein pay the bills not percentage
DON’T
FORGET THE
DRY COWS
THIS SPRING
Leading independent dairy consultant, Hugh Kerr, previously
international nutrition director with Keenan, has joined forces
with Harbro to provide an advisory service to our dairy farming
customers.
With the dairy industry facing difficulties as a result of over-supply
and low ex-farm prices, Harbro’s move helps demonstrate the
company’s commitment to help dairy farmers gain access to
progressive nutritional solutions combined with best practice and
modern technology.
Mr Kerr has been a well-known figure in the dairy industry for over
40 years and is well placed to work alongside Harbro on the practical
application of technologies relating to feeding, fertility and cow
performance gained while working with milk producers throughout
the world.
“Hugh’s experience will provide a valuable insight into different
farming situations which can now be combined with Harbro’s
nutritional research and expertise, with the aim of giving farmers
real measured results.” said sales director Chris Baxter.
Based in Perth, Mr Kerr will be available to help Harbro customers
take full advantage of all the opportunities within their milk contract,
making the most from whatever feeding system is in place, whilst
maintaining optimum performance and good animal health.
“I look forward to working with Harbro to further develop and
improve the feeding solutions that they have successfully delivered
to customers over the years and hopefully add a new dimension to
the service they offer the ruminant market. says Mr Kerr.
Special offer available on orders of
Pre Calver buckets placed in March
and April
Invest 10p/cow/day to supply your dry cows
mineral needs this summer
Terms and conditions apply. Special offer ends 30th April 2016.
Call Customer Services:
Head Office
Turriff
01888 545200
Inverness 01463 701990
Lanarkshire 01555 820358
Yorkshire
01430 432121
Email us:
[email protected]
Search: ‘Harbro LTD’
FRESH GRASS
OPPORTUNITIES
With the current state of the dairy sector, all eyes now
turn expectantly towards spring grass and the potential
of using the ‘saviour-green’ to provide a crucial lifeline to
reduce feed costs and regain some lost milk margin.
The higher average temperatures seen this
winter (4˚C above average) has resulted
in exceptional grass coverage and an
opportunity, if ground conditions allow, to
get cows out early and make the most of
this low cost feed.
Although gra zed gra ss remains the
cheapest feed available, it needs to be well
managed to optimise utilisation, reduce
wastage and ensure a constant supply
of high quality grass through the entire
grazing season. Whilst all animals at grass
will benefit from being given access to long
fibre to slow the passage of grass through
the rumen and improve its utilisation, it is
important to target supplementary feeds
such as silage, blends and compounds to
cows depending on their genetic potential
and stage of lactation.
Studies have shown that high genetic
animals will give a greater milk yield
response to supplementary feed at grass
compared to average genetic merit
animals, because they are more efficient
at partitioning nutrients to milk production.
Targeting extra TMR and compound feeding
to cows in early lactation will also help
fertility, which normally drops at grass, by
minimising the exposure of these animals
to the large variation in grass dry matter
and dry matter intake (DMI), typically seen
when grazing grass.
recommended to support peak milk yield
and try and maintain fertility
So what options are available to get the
most from grass without sacrificing milk
yield and fertility?
Grazing By Day
Either still run as a mob or split into high
and low yielders (or those safely in calf).
This system of grazing cows by day and
housing at night maximises grass intakes
during the day and maintains intakes on
a house buffer ration at night when cows
naturally stop grazing. This is ideally suited
to high yielding herds to maintain peak milk
yield and fertility but also to help all cows
compensate for low intakes of wet grass
by consuming more TMR at night.
24-hour Mob Grazing
If running cows as one group, consider
splitting fields with electric fencing into
2/4/6 paddocks to be grazed for 1-2 days
depending on the grass cover. To maximise
DMI and grass quality always aim to give
cows access to a fresh paddock after
afternoon milking when, the grass is highest
in sugar and to make use of the natural
grazing frenzy seen in cows up until dusk.
To further maximise grass intakes on
a paddock s ys tem , there ha s been
considerable success in extensive grazing
systems of pre-mowing and leaving grass
to wilt for 12-24 hours before turning out
the cows.
High Yielders in Full Time
This option allows low yielders access to
plenty of fresh grass to maximise milk
yield with supplementary parlour cake
whilst also freeing up cubicle space and
increasing the comfort of the fully housed
high yielders who will be contributing to the
majority of the bulk tank.
On any system so heavily reliant on grazed
grass, give cows access to long fibre (silage,
straw, wholecrop) or a buffer ration with
concentrates and minerals to improve grass
utilisation and energy intakes during wet
weather. Targeting a low protein, high fibre
compound at high yielders is also strongly
Zero Grazing
This is a great way of controlling the ration
and of getting enough high quality grass
in front of cows. However, prohibitive
machinery , labour costs and damage to
heavy fields during wet weather mean that
this option doesn’t suit every situation.
harbro.co.uk
Milk Matters March 2016.indd 1-2
09/03/2016 12:13:53
DENDOLDRUM DIARY
MAINTAINING MILK SOLIDS AT GRASS
With the move away from liquid to constituent-based milk contracts
paying on kilos of milk solids produced (butterfat and protein), the
focus for this grazing season needs to be on producing more high
quality milk to maximise p/litre.
The challenge of doing this at grass is that although fresh grass
produces lots of milk it doesn’t do much for milk quality – in
particular butterfats. There are a number of reasons for this.
Firstly, fresh grass is very low in fibre, whose fermentation in the
rumen is used as the precursor to make butterfat in the mammary
gland. Secondly, grass is very low in dry matter (DM) and it also has
a high rate of passage through the rumen meaning that the rumen
bugs often have little time to digest this fibre and a larger proportion
passes through the cow undigested.
Modern grass varieties are also high in sugar, which in combination
with the low level of fibre means that grass it actually very ‘fizzy’ in
the rumen and can further reduce fibre digestion by reducing rumen
pH. In fact, a recent study by University College Dublin found that
53% of cows at grass have sub-acute rumen acidosis (SARA) and
this was directly linked to reducing milk butterfat levels by 15%.
Finally, young leafy grass is very high in specific Omega-6 oils, which
not only create an ‘oil slick’ in the rumen, reducing fibre digestion
but also directly inhibits butterfat synthesis in the mammary gland.
So what can we do?
Long Fibre
Buffer feeding cows with a source of long fibre such as silage, straw
or wholecrop prior to turnout creates a raft of fibre in the rumen that
holds in the fresh grass, increases grass fibre digestion, stimulates
chewing and saliva production and reduces the risk of acidosis by
80%.
Buffer feeding cows at grass also allows cows to be supplemented
with high energy blends or straights to keep pace with milk yield
especially during wet weather when dry matter intake of grass
will be very low. Ensuring that a proportion of the cows ration is
coming from a buffer ration also reduces the impact of Omega-6
oils from the fresh grass, which will help to maintain normal levels
of butterfat synthesis in the udder.
High Fibre Feeds
Supplementing cows at grass with sources of highly digestible fibre
along with long fibre will further improve butterfats by providing
the rumen bugs with a ready supply of the digestible fibre that is
missing in lush grass. This is illustrated in the research below, which
demonstrated that supplementing cows at grass with 4kg of soya
hulls had a greater impact on milk yield and milk butterfat compared
to supplementing with either 4kg of wheat or 4kg of sugar beet pulp.
Wheat
Sugar Beet Pulp
Soya Hulls
26.7
27.2
27.3
30
29.4
29.5
36.2
36.6
37.5
Milk price difference
(ppl)*
0
+0.10
+0.32
Extra Income
(£/100 cows/month)*
-
£75
£240
Farm
Milk Yield (kg/d)
Protein content (g/kg)
Fat content (g/g)
Delaby et al 1994. Milk prices based on typical constituency
contract.
Quality High Fibre Compound
To target high yielders at grass, it is essential to feed a quality high
fibre compound that is not only designed to help maintain milk
butterfats but is also high in energy to drive fertility and milk protein
without reducing rumen pH and inducing SARA. Recent studies have
shown that feeding as little as 4kg of a typical finely ground high
energy summer compound to cows at grass is enough to push the
majority of the herd into SARA.
The Harbro range of rumen friendly dairy compounds is produced
with a large particle size and has been specifically developed to
break down more slowly in the rumen and minimise any of the
sudden drops in rumen pH typically associated with finely ground
compounds.
Continuing on from its success last summer, another option is our
patented Maxammon Rumi-Guard Fibre compound, the first truly
alkaline dairy compound on the market. Built around Maxammon
grain, this compound has a pH of 8, which along with providing high
levels of digestible fibre and slow release starch has been shown in
pH bolus trials to significantly improve rumen pH and increase milk
butterfats. Ask your Harbro dairy specialist for more information.
the use of antibiotics in the milk powder.
This is an area we are going to have to focus
on. Crypto has also crept into the calves.
We have never had a problem before but
the intensity of calving means the shed is
always 100%+ full. In an ideal world we
would have two sheds with an all in, all out
system, giving us time to disinfect and rest
a shed between batches.
Heifers now get much more straw in their
TMR to save the silage for the cows. I think
this is helping keep them leaner and more
dairy like. Before, on silage I felt our heifers
got too fat. I have been contemplating
whether to put any youngstock out to
grass this year. I will use up forage acres
and lose a bit of control regarding the diet
and growth rates, which are so crucial to
maintain two year calving. To help maintain
growth rates at grass to calve at two years
of age, heifers need to be fed 1-2kg of a
heifer rearing nut.
As I write this, it is the first week of decent
weather I can remember for a long time,
and the forecast for next week is pretty
good as well. This is long overdue, as we
are desperate to get slurry out.
Milking Cows
Cows have been performing below average
with fertility and mastitis also suffering. At
the start of the winter, I tried to challenge
the cows with more protein – this did not
work. Milk yield did not really improve, cows
became loose in the dung and mastitis
cases rose. Protein has since been cut
back. We always find feeding a relatively
low protein diet (16%) results in better cow
health, the cows are on less of a knife edge.
Where I am challenging the cows now is to
get more milk from forage.
We always find feeding a relatively low
protein diet (16%) results in better cow
health, the cows are on less of a knife edge.
Where I am challenging the cows now is
to get more milk from forage.
We are currently sitting at a minus figure
(partly due to the amount of draff and pot
ale we feed), but I would like to try and turn
this round to 4000 litres with 11000 plus
litres sold per cow in milk.
We reseed grass every five years with
Watson Seeds Dundas mixture, which
works well for us but instead of going for
bulk in first cut, I am going to try and go
for three more even cuts and hopefully
improve quality and consistency between
Milk Matters March 2016.indd 3-4
Our columnist Gregor Colquhoun
reports from Dendoldrum, Montrose
cuts. Before, the youngstock would eat
second and third cut but now all the silage
goes to the milking cows, and youngstock
get a straw based TMR. However it is easy
to make plans, but in the end the weather
will dictate.
Dry Cows
There have been a few changes to the way
we manage the dry cows. The dry cows are
now in social groups from about a month
pre-calving. Along with extra space, I am
hoping this will improve fresh cow health
and mastitis cases in early lactation. There
has also been more straw added to the
ration especially the far off dry cow group
which were on a more silage based ration
before. This should stop cows gaining
weight in that period.
Due to the pressure to reduce antibiotic
use we have been practicing selective dry
cow therapy for the last month, time will
tell if this works. We only use Orbseal on
low SCC cows with no history of mastitis
in that lactation. It has been working out at
about 50% of cows. From what I have read,
using antibiotic dry cow tubes on low SCC
cows can have a negative impact on E. Coli
mastitis the following lactation, which was
another reason to give it a go. The crucial
element to this working is hygiene at drying
off. Needless to say I just bought 25 litres of
surgical spirit on line, and put an extra man
in the parlour when drying off to hold tails
up so teats can be cleaned with confidence.
Youngstock
We have been struggling to cope without
A month ago one of my Polish workers was
un-choking the straw bedder and cut their
foot, requiring 13 stitches. I called him all
the names under the sun only for me to go
and cut my hand last Sunday morning – six
stitches required. I was just in too much of
a hurry and I am so annoyed with myself.
It has certainly slowed me down this week
and much to my wife’s disgust, is proving
very difficult to keep clean.
It would seem like I’m less Torville and Dean
and more Orville the duck!
From livestock outside to livestock inside….
What should have been a romantic steak,
a bottle of wine and a cosy night in front
of the TV on Valentine’s night somehow
turned into ‘Operation Eradicate Lice’ as
Faye spent three hours trying to remove
lice from all the girls, change beds, sterilise
brushes and obsessively clean the house!
And they say romance is dead?? The
midterm holiday at school provided a
welcome opportunity to spend some time
with the girls. When asked what they’d
like to do, ice skating was top of the list.
It would seem like I’m less Torville and
Dean and more Orville the duck! Faye kept
encouraging me to glide but I spent most of
the time stressed that I’d fall and break my
neck, and the knock on effect that would
have on my staffing rota….I’ve never been so
relieved to get those skates off (and all my
bones intact!). Roll on Easter holidays, I can
hardly wait to see what I’ve to endure next!
09/03/2016 12:13:54