Fodder beet is an increasingly popular winter crop for beef and dairy cattle due to the large amounts of dry matter it produces.

Most farmers are focused on extracting as much milk as possible from home-grown feed.

Australian dairy farmers Casey and Bonnie Taylor are noticing the difference after changing their cows' diets from Freddo Frogs and low G.I. bars.

The break-even cost of supplementary feed is 3.5% of the milk price, says DairyNZ principal scientist John Roche.

A new trial at the Northland Agricultural Research Farm near Dargaville is looking at alternatives to importing feed.

Quality silage is a stable feed made from quality pasture preserved in the absence of oxygen by quality fermentation to minimise any loss of feeding value, says DairyNZ.

Palm Kernel expeller (PKE) is now being imported directly to Wellington from this month.

Nothing competes with grass when it comes to cost effective feed. But when grass supply is short, ProGibb SG is the next best thing, says Farmlands Manawatu field manager Mike McLean.

This month we focus on the timing and methods of feeding of colostrum and how this affects the absorption of vital antibodies. 

One response to tight economic circumstances for many dairy farmers is to look at reducing the amount of feed they buy in for their cows, says fertiliser co-op Ravensdown.