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From Biology to Profit making the farm business work
Dairy Business of the Year, June 22nd 2011
“Insanity: Doing the same thing and expecting a different result”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change”
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
“If you don’t like change, you’ll like irrelevance even less”
General Eric Shinseki (1942-)
A miracle
happens
Feed her moreMilk
Cow
Make a profit
Source: David Beca, Redsky
As pasture harvest increased, OpEx declined
Return on assets increases with increase in pasture harvested
Source: David Beca, Redsky
Operating profit/ha vstonnes DM pasture eaten/ha
Operating profit/ha increases with increasing pasture harvest
Breakdown of expenses
Only Point
Supplements should only be used to manage pasture better
not to “feed cows better”
Using supplements to improve pasture management
1. Grow as much pasture as possiblei. Optimum rotation length
ii. Targeted re-seeding
iii. Optimise soil fertility
iv. Targeted use of nitrogen
2. Optimise pasture utilisationi. Optimum stocking rate
ii. Targeted post-grazing residuals
iii. Minimise substitution rate
Using supplements to improve pasture management
1. Grow as much pasture as possiblei. Optimum rotation length
ii. Targeted re-seeding
iii. Optimise soil fertility
iv. Targeted use of nitrogen
Optimum rotation length
Optimum rotation length
Optimum rotation length
Lee et al. 2010
Leaf 1 Leaf 2 Leaf 3 Leaf 4
10-15% 30-40% 45-55%
Delay grazing
Optimum rotation length
Lee et al. 2010
Using supplements to improve pasture management
1. Grow as much pasture as possiblei. Optimum rotation length
o Use supplements to delay grazing to grow more grass
ii. Targeted re-seeding
iii. Optimise soil fertility
iv. Targeted use of nitrogen
Targeted reseeding
Clark et al., 2010
• You can’t manage what you don’t measure!
~$33,000/100 ha
Clark et al., 2010
Targeted reseeding
Using supplements to improve pasture management
1. Grow as much pasture as possiblei. Optimum rotation length
ii. Targeted re-seedingo Use supplements/crops to allow pasture renovation
iii. Optimise soil fertility
iv. Targeted use of nitrogen
2. Optimise pasture utilisationi. Optimum stocking rate
ii. Targeted post-grazing residuals
iii. Minimise substitution rate
Source: David Beca, Redsky
Stocking rate
Stocking rate
Macdonald et al. 2008
Using supplements/crops to improve pasture management
1. Grow as much pasture as possiblei. Optimum rotation length
ii. Targeted re-seeding
iii. Optimise soil fertility
iv. Targeted use of nitrogen
2. Optimise pasture utilisationi. Optimum stocking rate
ii. Targeted post-grazing residuals
iii. Minimise substitution rate
Maintains optimal post-grazing residuals
Reduces pasture growth
In summaryTo maximise profit:
• Use supplements to help manage pasture• not to “feed cows better”
– increase stocking rate and allow greater DIM– lengthen the rotation to grow more pasture– facilitate targeted reseeding– maintain optimum post-grazing residual
