Winter Feeding With Consideration

Areas of Ireland, Scotland and Cumbria had an almost ideal combination of rain and temperature to provide good grass growing conditions. “The grass wasn’t under pressure here, and harvesting conditions were good. This resulted in some very good forage.”

Conversely, many parts of England, had prolonged drought conditions putting grass under stress. “Silage quantity is down in these areas, and limited grass growth in mid and late summer forced some to buffer feed and dip into winter forage stocks far earlier than usual,” she adds.

Forage quality took a hit too, in the areas hit by drought, with higher dry matters making it harder to get a good fermentation, tougher fibre characteristics and less digestible material.

“Maize yields too were a bit unpredictable. Again, drought put this needy crop under stress. Those who have always relied on maize silage for a good proportion of their forages might struggle to meet demand, whereas other less typical maize growing areas might be feeding a higher proportion of the crop in diets and will have to be wary of the higher starch content.”

Accurate stock taking of forage will be needed if supplies look lean and some early planning to avoid getting caught out in the new year.

“Lower cereal prices make them more attractive this year, so we’re likely to find a higher proportion in diets,” says Mrs Rogers. “But again, starch levels may be an issue and if they are, the ration will need to be carefully balanced to avoid the risk of acidosis.”

More producers may opt for co-products, but before rushing into this, their nutritional merits should be considered and their cost. “Don’t pay over the odds as demand could out-strip supply and force up prices. Including co-products in dairy cow diets must be beneficial nutritionally and be economically viable. And the oil content of the diet may increase due to co-products, depressing milk fat. This can be mitigated with a specialised buffer like Equaliser Cream.

Those with enough forage and full pits can feel some relief. “This is the year, for those producers, to get more milk from forage, and this can be done cost-effectively with a dedicated rumen buffer designed to access the untapped potential in the forages.”

Specialised rumen buffers play a major role in helping to extract feed value from forages as well as promoting a balanced ration.

“They can make a significant difference when it comes to maximising the feed value in forages and balancing varied rations,” adds Cargill’s European ruminant technical manager Philip Ingram. “Although this tends to be more visible when forages are higher fibre, the performance benefits are seen even with good quality forages.

“The rumen buffer Equaliser Fibre+, which includes the postbiotic Diamond V, is tried and tested on UK dairy units, and has been shown to increase energy from forage fibre by 12% and improve milk yield by 1.34kg/cow/day in practical farm trials.

“But it is also very powerful in keeping acidity under control and allowing the rumen microbes to continue to digest the fibre in the diet. Diamond V gives the fibre digestion bacteria an added boost. This is also a benefit with highly digestible silages that can run the risk of causing acidosis,” adds Dr Ingram.

“We can see visible proof of its effectiveness in manure consistency. Dung from diets including Equaliser® Fibre+ is less fibrous, proving more has been broken down and energy has been released that can be used in milk production or growth.”

With milk prices dipping, producers will be looking at winter rations carefully, and the use of a buffer may come under question. “But the value of a tried and tested product that makes better use of the nutrients in the diet and promotes rumen health will be even more pronounced when costs are under pressure.”