Displaying items by tag: feed

Western Australian dairy farmers Ruth and Ian McGregor can only rely on pasture for five months of the season on their Chapman Hill farm, near Busselton, so each blade grown must be maximised.

BEC Feed Solutions NZ can already teach its Australian big brother a thing or two in the dairy supplements side of its operations, after only one year in business.

Carefully consider feed planning decisions to keep cows in milk while maintaining their condition, advises DairyNZ.

For several years Lincoln and Massey Universities, and private researchers and individuals, have promoted plantain, chicory, lucerne and red clover as an alternative to traditional rye grass and white clover. 

Grass and feed supplies are looking good in many parts of the council despite soils drying out fast, says DairyNZ.

With cashflows tight on dairy farms, pasture comes out on top as the cheapest feed source, says fertiliser co-op Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

THERE ARE two key ways to achieve high per-cow performance: getting a good peak production level and having good persistence throughout the lactation. This is achieved by minimising the rate of post-peak decline and achieving a long lactation length. 

Dairy farmers are being told that there are opportunities to increase profitability even when times are tough.

“A lot of people use it just to get livestock through, not worrying about growth rate, but that’s a very expensive way to use feed because you’re not getting any production off that feed.”

FONTERRA’S RECENT forecast of a record milksolids payout of $8.30 is great news for farmers.