Dry-off may not be best option

“There are a number of profitable options to keep cows milking through this dry period,” says Seales Winslow technical manager, James Hague.

Drying cows off early has a number of drawbacks: a dry cow creates no income and still needs to be fed 8-10kgDM/day, about 2% of its bodyweight, he points out.

“This is only 4-5kg less than many milking cows eat at this part of the season.”

A cow dried off now which does not calve until August will be dry for 20 weeks and if sent away to graze will be costing $20-30 per week – at least $400 in total. At $5.50/kgMS that’s equivalent to 73kgMS.

Similarly, feed for a dry cow kept at home will cost $1.50 - $2.50/day, or $10.50 - $17.50/week.

That compares to a diet for a milking cow giving 1.5kgMS/day costing $3 - $5 per cow per day. Given the milk’s worth $8.25/day, even a diet costing $5/day leaves a margin of $3.25/day.

“Calculate the cost of feeding a dry cow and the cost of feeding a milking cow, as the cost difference between the two can be very little,” he points out.

Many commentators get bogged down in the cost of each feed but Hague says it’s more practical to look at the cost of the whole diet and stay focussed on the margin.

“Even buying in the feed at 70c/KgDM is economic.”

However, diets must be balanced and unbalanced diets are costing producers’ money, he warns.

“Check for undigested fibre in the dung, as this indicates that the digestive system is not functioning as well as it could and feed value is being lost.”

Low protein in the diet, due to low protein grass, is a current problem as nitrogen hasn’t been applied for months on many farms, he adds.

“In these situations higher protein feeds need to be used to supply the rumen with the protein it needs to efficiently digest feed. This is especially important where less digestible feeds such as hay or straw are being fed.

“Feeds such as palm kernel are great for filling a dry matter gap, but higher protein feeds such as cottonseed or canola are much more suitable. With PKE at current high prices, these other feeds on a nutrient cost basis represent real value for money. The value of a feed is not in its cost; it is in the value it brings to the diet and the amount of milk or meat that is produced as a result.

“Look at all types of feed and evaluate which ones do the job.”

SealesWinslow is offering ration reviews to help farms balance diets through this dry spell: tel 0800 007766.