Dairy farmers need to plan rations carefully for the winter to prevent rumen health problems, warns Frank Wright Trouw Nutrition.
Following the analysis of 4,000 samples from first and second-cut grass silages, the company warns the biggest challenge facing farmers in the coming season will be maintaining good rumen health and getting the right nutrient balance and supply to rumen microflora.
Ruminant technical adviser Sara Pickering said: "The headline figures – dry matter, ME and protein – are reasonably comparable year-on-year, although as ever there is a huge range in quality making it absolutely vital that farmers get their crops analysed.
"Generally intake potentials are high suggesting cows will be happy to eat most crops. However, other aspects of the analysis suggest some areas where farmers will need to be vigilant if they are to optimise cow performance this winter."
She said sugar levels were especially low – around 1.3% compared with the typical 3% – meaning cows would require additional rumen energy to keep the bugs working at full capacity.
In addition, she said there was a risk of acidosis through increasing digestible energy in the ration, which could be a bigger problem in silages with low NDF levels, which is more of a common occurrence this year.
Vitamin E levels are also worth monitoring, as they are higher in grass silage this year, added Ms Pickering. She advised farmers to get their feed adviser or nutritionist to check mineral and vitamin levels in the diet, as it may be possible to save money on mineral supplements this winter.
"While grass silage will present some feeding challenges this winter it will be possible to overcome them by careful ration planning. But remember that silage is a living product and the analysis will change during the winter, making regular forage analysis an invaluable management tool," she added.
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