Each winter presents a different set of challenges for our dairy herd particularly during the months after housing. This season is no exception with milk yields nationally back 3.6% as of November 21 versus November 20 (source: AHDB).
Consider some of this season's challenges below and some suggested solutions by some of our specialist dairy team.
Inclusion of maize in the dairy ration has long been favoured by many dairy farmers and with the current costs of other crops and inputs, 2022 represents an even better opportunity for maize.
Quantifying the level of mycotoxin contamination in your feeds is always difficult, as there are >400 different species of mycotoxins, all with varying levels of toxicity, and they may not be in every part of the silage clamp or TMR that we sample! Generally speaking, any plant with a flowering head (such as maize or wheat) could have developed fungi in the field, under stress conditions such as drought or wet weather, which produce the ‘in field’ mycotoxins on the plant. When harvested, the mycotoxins remain in the silage, and in some cases, further mould/fungi growth in the clamp can lead to more ‘storage’ mycotoxin production.
Over the past few years, livestock agriculture has been under increasing scrutiny due to its perceived ethical and environmental impact. Dairy production is at the forefront and seen by campaigners and activists as a polluting industry and emitter of huge greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Most of their theories and preaching is totally inaccurate and does not only cause a financial impact on our potential markets, but a huge psychological impact on our industry; British dairy farmers produce a wholesome and nutritious product only to be branded in a negative light by the media.
In a year where forage shortages are a major concern, it is important to utilise every acre to maximise forage opportunities and minimise the reliance on costly bought in feed.
Silage analysis from across the country has shown a wide variation in nutrient analysis, partly due to the challenging weather conditions impacting cutting times between farms. There have been some early first-cut silages, and then later first-cuts, which are quite different from each other in protein, energy and digestibility, according to Trouw GB’s silage-watch. This may pose feeding challenges to farmers moving between cuts this autumn, as well as large variability between farms, and consideration needs to be given to the balance of the ration to optimise rumen health and maintain performance.
As the summer draws towards an end, farmers will begin to turn their attention to contracting their feed for the winter period, no doubt decisions on whether or not to contract will be the subject of much discussion in the farming community. However, it’s difficult to see what factors would now drive down the November-April period.
Weather has had a major impact this year on crops around the world, droughts stretching from Canada to Brazil has hit wheat, maize, soya and rapemeal crops hard, and month after month, the USDA along with independent analyst’s keep reducing yield forecasts. It’s been a similar story across Europe and Russia with crops being hit by either drought or extreme flooding, this comes at a period when world stocks are already at very low levels and there will be little carryover from one crop season to the other.
Recent silage analysis from across the country has show variation in nutrient analysis, this may pose feeding challenges to farmers this Autumn and consideration needs to be given to balancing the ration to optimise rumen health and maintain performance
When it comes to producing good quality, nutritious silage small things can make a big difference. This is especially true of mistakes. A shortcut or a small oversight can ultimately result in silage that is unusable due to insufficient dry matter content or worse, silage that is dangerous to herd health because of mould growth and the likely presence of mycotoxins or Listeria.
Many farmers have come to accept some issues, particularly with mould, as inevitable and as a necessary evil. The reality is however, it's all too often caused by someone committing one of a number of silage "sins".
It is estimated that 10% of UK farms already use robotic milking, but they also constitute 35% of all new milking systems being purchased. In Holland 40% of dairy farms are automated, with some Scandinavian countries as high as 50%. The number of cows milked in robots is expected to more than double in the next 5 years.
