Ensuring your cows have the best mating this season
Hit the ground running this mating with these foundations for success.
With mating season around the corner, there's no time for guesswork or getting herd nutrition wrong, according to GrainCorp Feeds' technical support manager Ken Winter.
With changing pasture quality, he says making sure cows are getting adequate metabolisable energy (ME) is perhaps this season's most pressing issue.
"At this time of the year, the energy demands on a cow are at an all-time high. The physical exertions of pregnancy, calving and now milk production have taken a toll on her energy reserves.
"It is critical to bring her energy levels up, not only for milk production, but for reproduction. If a cow's energy intake is lower than her output, her body will find the missing calories from within her own system."
Body fat and protein will be mobilisd to make milk, but the cost of doing so will be high. Body condition will be lost and so will her ability to conceive. I've seen it happen many times.
"The most common mistake I see at this time of year is animals being fed too little. Some farmers underestimate the genetic potential of their herd, which leads them to underestimate feed requirements. Unfortunately, many cows will head into mating undernourished, which can adversely affect conception rates."
There are solutions, but farmers need to know how much to feed their cows to meet their cows to meet their genetic and fertility requirements.
Reaching a target Body Condition Score (BCS) of 5 to 5.5 before calving is ideal. Ensuring a cow's rumen is fit and healthy prior to calving and stimulating a good appetite post-calving are two key factors. Ken has seen good results when a series of practical measures are taken.
"Underfed animals need an energy break. One of the best things a farmer can do is to milk once-a-day over the colostrum period, for 4-5 days after calving and even longer if necessary. Not only will this take less out of the cow, it helps protect the integrity of the liver which in turn means better feed conversion efficiency. More energy from every bite can lead to improved immune function, performance and appetite.
"The other crucial part is bringing in additional feed to fill the energy gaps. I always start on-farm to see what resources are already available. Farmers often come unstuck because they haven't built up enough feed cover and there isn't any extra to turn to. With a bit of planning, we can fix that for next season."
The Commerce Commission says connectivity options for rural New Zealanders are front-of-mind as it begins a formal investigation into the future of the copper network.
Grand Finalists have been selected, all regional finals have concluded, and the journey towards the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final is underway.
Hopes of NZ sheepmeat prices picking up anytime soon in the country's key export market of China looks highly unlikely.
Regional councils are welcoming the certainty for councils in today’s Resource Management Act (RMA) announcement by the Government.
ASB says the decision to sign on to the AgriZeroNZ joint venture came out of a wish to be a part of the solution.
Federated Farmers says changes announced to the Resource Management Act today mark the end of the war on farming.
OPINION: Talking about plant-based food: “Chicken-free chicken” start-up Sunfed has had its valuation slashed to zero by major investor Blackbird…
OPINION: Synlait's financial woes won’t be going away anytime soon.