Doesnt pay to reduce rations
Doesnt pay to reduce rations
CATTLE producers must ignore the temptation to slacken feed regimes and maintain production targets despite finished cattle prices below 88p/kg liveweight.
Suffolk-based Signet consultant Geoff Fish says cutting back finishing rations is uneconomic: "Holding finishing cattle on a maintenance ration is looking particularly iffy at the moment.
"It costs 60p a head a day to store cattle on a typical maintenance feed, whereas 8-9kg a head a day of a cereal based home-mix at £100/t costs 85p a head a day. That gives 1.25-1.5kg liveweight gain worth £1.15-£1.42 at current market prices."
Cutting feed for autumn calvers still running with a bull will save little and put fertility at risk. Instead, he suggests reducing costs by feeding high energy vegetable root crops or C-quota sugar beet at 12.5 ME, where available.
As for spring calvers, there is a temptation to go too far the other way by trying to put on condition in the latter part of pregnancy. "Too much energy will only serve to increase calf birth weights and increase the risk of a difficultcalving."