Don't reduce supplementary feed
As the new dairy season gets underway and farmers tackle ongoing financial challenges, they are being urged not to make hasty decisions about selling cows and cutting back on supplementary feed.
The farmers will have access to Dairy Club’s online milk prediction tool Tracker which measures milk production and shows how they can achieve maximum gain.
Dairy Club research shows that about $200,000 of efficiency and productivity gains for the average farm can be achieved using Tracker, which is the equivalent to adding over $1.50/kgMS to the milk price.
“We feel it is more important than ever to focus on how we can help farmers achieve profitable milk production,” said GrainCorp Feeds general manager Daniel Calcinai. “We will work with customers to identify the potential on their farms and work on cost effective options for productivity, health and fertility for the short, medium and longer term”
GrainCorp Feeds’ territory managers will be able to use Tracker to show farmers what’s happening on their farm, where the gaps are, and then make recommendations for feeding, including when to feed, what to feed, and what that means to them financially.
Dairy Club’s James Hague says the types of feeds used are critical to achieving better feed conversion efficiency from the whole diet.
“In the end, Tracker helps farmers plan and measure feed conversion efficiency and the margins they are making. They’ll see their progress week-by-week which will allow them to make changes quickly to maximise their production.”
Calcinai says it is essential that the investment farmers make into supplementary feed achieves a good return, otherwise it is just a cost.
“This is why we are investing in tools and systems that give our customers the option of increasing support to achieve profitable results,” he said.
