In a broad ranging SIDE address on advancing management through technology, Callum Eastwood and Brian Dela Rue said recent modelling and a feeding trial show “no more profit” from feeding higher yielding cows more than when the whole herd was fed the same amount.
“We couldn’t find evidence that would justify the additional cost of the [variable rate in-shed] feed system,” Dela Rue told a workshop audience.
His comments were based on a DairyNZ and MPI Sustainable Farming Fund study which found 58% of farms with in-shed feeding systems feed to yield at some point in the season. They also looked at a review of scientific studies of individualised feeding by Hills et al published in the Journal of Dairy Sciencethis year, and results from a four week field trial.
“There was no observed effect on milk production, liveweight or body condition score.”
