CHALLENGE SUCCESS WITH BREED MIXTURE
CHALLENGE SUCCESS WITH BREED MIXTURE
Unexpectedly acquiring 200
Jersey in-calf heifers last
year, in addition to his
existing 300-head Holstein
Friesian herd, has provided
an interesting comparison
for one Sussex producer.
Marianne Curtis reports
MANAGING 500 cows on one unit is a tall order by anyones standards. But add to that the facts they are two different breeds, calve at different times, spend substantial amounts of time grazing on heavy weald clay and will produce milk for 10p/litre by the year end, and you can begin to appreciate the challenge.
Gwyn Jones of Crouchlands Farm, Plaistow, West Sussex, decided to expand his autumn calving Holstein Friesian herd from 200 to 250 cows two-and-a-half years ago. He also milked a small Holstein Friesian herd on a nearby rented farm.
"The small herd became uneconomic so I amalgamated it with the existing herd to make 300 cows. Last year I also acquired 200 Jersey heifers when a neighbour decided to sell them."
Unlike his Holstein Friesian herd, the Jerseys calve in March and April and are outwintered to maximise milk from grass. The only concentrate they receive is 250kg of maize gluten each in early lactation, mainly as a carrier for magnesium.
"This is a late farm in terms of grass growth, so we cant calve any earlier than March. Last year it was a nightmare milking 200 heifers but this year the Jerseys have shown a fantastic temperament and milking is about 30% faster than for the Holstein Friesians, partly because Jerseys move in and out more briskly."
Milking takes longest from April through to July when all 500 cows are in milk. The 20/40 parlour is home-built, incorporating features from New Zealand designs, allowing a milking rate of 150 cows/hour. Adjustable breast rails make it suitable for both Jerseys and Holstein Friesians.
Although there is a premium of 1p a litre for Channel Island milk offered by Mr Jones milk buyer, Milk Link, the requirement for separate collections makes this difficult to achieve in practice. "Milk from both breeds is collected together and the current price for a standard litre is 16.6p."
Quota for the unit amounts to 3m litres with 2m litres allocated to the autumn calving herd and a further million to the Jerseys. Holstein Friesians average 6500 litres and the Jerseys, 5000 litres.
Lighter Jerseys
The mix of breeds fits in well with characteristics of the 320ha (500 acre) farm. "Jerseys are lighter, hardier animals than Holstein Friesians and coped well with being out on clay last winter. Even though some of the ground looked as though it was being used for outdoor pigs it did recover 100%."
The secret is to move cows every 24 hours and every 12 hours in extreme weather conditions, according to Mr Jones.
"We aim for a good autumn flush of grass by applying 20-30 units of nitrogen/acre. Due to mild conditions, grass didnt stop growing during the winter.
"Grazing over winter can actually improve grass growth and quality in spring by cleaning up pastures. It is different from using sheep for this purpose as they graze off new grass shoots as soon as they appear, delaying regrowth."
Rotation length varies, according to grass growth rate and works out at 30-35 days during October and 40-50 days in December and January. "Last year cows were yarded for three weeks during extreme weather, but this year the availability of sandy south-facing rented ground means they should remain outside."
During summer there is no deliberate choice of paddocks according to breed, but Jerseys tend to graze wetter areas because they are lighter and do less damage, says Mr Jones.
But wet weather in the early season quickly brought home how susceptible Jerseys are to staggers, explains Mr Jones. "One morning, after a particularly wet night, we had two cows dead before breakfast and were lucky not to lose more. The difficulty is that magnesium cant be given via water when it is wet as cows have no desire to drink."
Generally, however, health and fertility in both breeds is good. "Vet and med costs are £15/cow for black-and-white autumn calvers, including dry cow therapy. Lameness is the main problem, with cows succumbing to foul as soon as it turns wet. For Jerseys vet costs are only £7.50/cow: They seem to experience little lameness with their hard, black feet."
No routine fertility work is carried out at Crouchlands Farm, yet conception rates are an envious 70-75%. "Submission rate for autumn calvers is 80% and slightly higher for spring calvers. I thought there would be more of a problem spotting spring calvers bulling outdoors. but cows seem to be more active during heat and are easier to spot."
Maintaining fertility
Tail paint is used extensively and touched up twice a week during the mating season, with observation being the key to good fertility, according to Mr Jones.
But maintaining good condition and fertility in Holstein Friesians is dependent upon bringing them in as soon as grass quality and quantity starts to deteriorate, he believes. "Although we get autumn calvers out as early as March in spring, they are housed in September.
"One year we went too far, grazing them until late November. They lost too much weight as they were approaching peak yield and service, causing yield and fertility to suffer." Autumn calvers are fed a 50:50 ratio of grass and maize silage, 5kg of maize gluten, 2kg of rapemeal and minerals.
Both herds have their place, the Jerseys being suitable for an extensive system and Holstein Friesians boosting yield. "Being able to spread fixed costs over more litres means we should achieve costs of 10p a litre, based on the comparative farm profit system which excludes rent and finance, by the end of the year," says Mr Jones.
Chasing 10p/litre production costs… Gwyn Jones has found both breeds have their good and bad points.
MIXEDBREEDS
• Adjustable parlour.
• Better grass use.
• Fixed costs spread.
There they go… When it comes to walking to and from the parlour, Jerseys beat the Friesians easily – they still have a bit to do on yield though.