Fodder fears are hot topic
Fodder fears are hot topic
This years Dairy Show at
the Bath and West
Showground, Shepton
Mallet, Somerset, drew an
excellent attendance of
producers whose good spirits
lent a buzz to the event
despite the absence of live
cattle. John Burns reports
FEARS of a fodder shortage this winter, and concerns over feeding too little fibre in cow rations, were hotly debated at the Dairy Show.
Luppo Diepenbroek of Mole Valley Farmers told an event workshop that grass silage yields were well down, although quality was excellent.
Silage had been made on farms culled for foot-and-mouth control which may become available. But no one knew when DEFRA might allow it to be sold and moved.
Promar International dairy consultant Derek Gardner believes most silages are of high dry matter % and in any case much of the fodder gap has been filled by whole-crop cereal silage. This was made when it became clear grass growth had been restricted by drought. Forage maize yields and quality also look promising, he added.
It was still vital to plan rations, so fodder lasts the whole winter, said Mr Diepenbroek. "Much of the silage made this year is of rocket fuel grade with excellent intake characteristics. Do not let your cows eat it all now and hope for an early turnout next spring."
Although the milk-to-concentrate price ratio was in theory favourable and quota costs were also low, care was needed when substituting concentrates for forage. It was also essential to feed the right quality and form of fibre, he said. "Make sure the fibre is digestible and monitor your cows via their dung."
He believes his dung pat scoring system, adapted from US work, is useful for assessing cow rations (see panel).
Where forage is short, he suggested feeding either sugar beet or nutritionally improved straw. To help check rations he recommended the TDM computer program, produced by south-west adviser Peter Allen, as the only one including fibre rationing.
Once a suitable ration is designed, its day-to-day effectiveness should be monitored, added Mr Diepenbroek.
"When milk fat % is less then 3.5, feed more fibre. When cows dung is too loose, feed more fibre or less protein. When cows dung is black and loose, add more fibre and feed yeast.
"When cows are not chewing 40 to 80 times/cud, add more fibre or feed yeast and check the ration for fibre and scratch factors," he said.
For total mixed rations, it is important to ensure fibre components are chopped to suitable lengths. The ideal is 10% over 19mm (0.75in) and 40% between 8mm (0.3in) and 19mm (0.75in), as measured using the Penn State separator, a set of specially adapted sieves.
To avoid cows selecting only certain components from the diet, he recommended an overall ration dry matter of 52-55%. When rations are drier than that, it is easier for cows to pick and choose, said Mr Diepenbroek. *
• Check forage available.
• Fibre in ration vital.
• Calculate shortfall now.
Dung scoring table
Score Appearance Possible nutritional factors
One Very liquid, pea soup consistency, Excessive protein, starch
no rings or dimpling, manure or minerals: Fibre wrong
puddles or runs. length or not enough.
Two Does not pile up, is runny, less Same as score one or
than 25mm (1in) deep. lush pasture.
Three Porridge consistency, stands Balanced ration.
25-40mm (1-1.5in) high, four to
six concentric rings.
Four Manure is thick, does not stick Lack of degradable protein
to boots, no rings. or starch, excess fibre.
Five Firm manure balls, stacks Dehydration or same as
50-100mm (2-4in) high. score four.
*Adapted from Winsconsin State University research.
Scoring cow dung each day will help ensure rations have adequate fibre, says Luppo Diepenbroek.