Understanding feed crucial to farm profit
Understanding the added value different feeds give is more important than looking at cost, according to Seales Winslow representative James Hague.
He outlined issues around feed during a talk to the New Zealand Dairy Women’s Network conference last week.
‘‘ It’s very important to understand value, not cost.’’
He said the capital values of farms were going up, which was good for owners but meant that getting feed systems right was more important for those who were buying farms now.
Fixed costs had gone from 50 per cent of income in 2000 to 70 per cent in 2011 and were predicted to reach 80 per cent this year, Hague said.
‘‘ The average farm has 65-75 per cent of its capital going into the overheads.’’
He said farmers could be getting milk solids that were 100 per cent of liveweight.
‘‘It’s not unrealistic ... they [cows] can do it. The only thing that stops them doing it is us.’’
Hague said estimates showed the average New Zealand cow needed to be eating 4-5 kg of dry matter a day more.
He said the first factor to consider was the impact of feed on the rumen environment, given that it’s efficiency determined production.
‘‘You’ve got to make sure that you’re putting minerals in. If we want to push milk value, then we like a starchy, sugary feed.’’
He said grass was different ‘‘day to day, paddock to paddock, and blade to blade’’.
Farmers needed to watch cow grazing patterns carefully and make sure stock were eating, and getting, the benefits of all varieties on offer.
Hague said constructing a feed system should take into account physical structure, dry matter, fat, crude protein (CP), minerals and metabolisable energy (ME).