Start winter forage budgeting now to safeguard milk production

Dairy farmers are being urged to carry out their winter forage budgets early to give them enough time to secure any additional feed requirements.

Csaba Adamik, regional business manager for Scotland at Lallemand Animal Nutrition, warns many farmers may be caught out if they leave it too late to secure additional winter forage stocks.

“It’s been a very mixed year for forage quality and quantity across the UK,” says Mr Adamik.

“While areas of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have generally fared well, prolonged drought conditions in other regions have left farmers facing tight stocks going into autumn and winter.

“We’re already seeing some producers selling off low-yielding or problem cows to ease pressure, while others will have bought in extra forage or standing crops.”

He recommends assessing forage quality and quantity as a matter of priority.

“Make sure you complete your forage budget early because there’s still something you can do about it in early autumn,” explains Mr Adamik.

“If you leave it until late into the autumn, it can be difficult – especially in areas where there are forage shortages because you’ll be competing with other farmers in the area for any excess forage.”

He adds: “Farmers will also need to be open to alternative options which they may not have used in the past, including vegetable byproducts and sub-standard potatoes.

“You can also feed extra concentrates but there’s a limitation on how much, so you are better off trying to close that gap with forage-type products or replacements such as draff or brewers’ grains.”

To help cows cope with changing rations and to maximise the value of available forage, he recommends feeding the rumen-specific live yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077 – known commercially as Levucell SC.

“We’re likely to see more ration changes than normal this year, with cows having access to certain feeds for only a short period of time before moving on to something else,” says Mr Adamik.

“The yeast will provide the rumen with more stability and help to even out these challenging periods in ration quality by optimising rumen function and increasing ration digestibility. This will ensure the best possible feed efficiency and return on investment for any bought-in feeds.”

He says research has shown that, depending on the acid load level of the diet, grass silage can have its NDF digestibility in the rumen increased by 5-9% when the live yeast is fed, resulting in increased feed efficiency and milk yields.