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 grazed grass 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.

So what options are available to get the most from grass without sacrificing milk yield and fertility?

24-hour Mob GrazingIf 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 system, there has been considerable success in extensive grazing systems of pre-mowing and leaving grass to wilt for 12-24 hours before turning out the cows.

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

recommended to support peak milk yield and try and maintain fertility

Grazing By DayEither 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.

High Yielders in Full TimeThis 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.

Zero GrazingThis 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.

FRESH GRASS OPPORTUNITIESWith 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.

FRESH GRASS OPPORTUNITIES

MAINTAINING MILK SOLIDS AT GRASS

DENDOLDRUM DIARY

COWMAN’S TIPS / HUGH KERR APPOINTMENT

March 2016 / Inside this issue:

COWMAN’S TIPS

Cashing in on grassStage manage;

Cows in later lactation 150 days + calved and confirmed in calf.

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

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

Email us: farming@harbro.co.uk

Search: ‘Harbro LTD’

Call Customer Services:Head Office Turriff 01888 545200Inverness 01463 701990Lanarkshire 01555 820358Yorkshire 01430 432121

harbro.co.uk

Milk Matters

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. DON’T

FORGET THE DRY COWS

THIS SPRINGSpecial 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.

Hugh Kerr

Milk Matters March 2016.indd 1-2 09/03/2016 12:13:53

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 CowsCows 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

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 CowsThere 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.

YoungstockWe have been struggling to cope without

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.

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!

MAINTAINING MILK SOLIDS AT GRASS DENDOLDRUM DIARY

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 FibreBuffer 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.

Our columnist Gregor Colquhoun reports from Dendoldrum, Montrose

High Fibre FeedsSupplementing 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.

Delaby et al 1994. Milk prices based on typical constituency contract.

Quality High Fibre CompoundTo 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.

Farm Wheat Sugar Beet Pulp Soya Hulls

Milk Yield (kg/d) 26.7 27.2 27.3

Protein content (g/kg) 30 29.4 29.5

Fat content (g/g) 36.2 36.6 37.5

Milk price difference (ppl)*

0 +0.10 +0.32

Extra Income (£/100 cows/month)*

- £75 £240

Milk Matters March 2016.indd 3-4 09/03/2016 12:13:54