Latest Report: December 19, 2008
|
This Week |
Last Week |
| Cow numbers (in vat) |
153 |
153 |
| Herd milk yield (l/d) |
3,978 |
4,015 |
| Herd fat yield (kg/d) |
163 |
163 |
| Herd protein yield (kg/d) |
123 |
124 |
| Fat test (%) * |
4.10 (4.25) |
4.07 (4.26) |
| Protein test (%) * |
3.10 (3.24) |
3.10 (3.22) |
| Cow milk yield (l/cow/d) |
26.0 |
26.2 |
| Grain (kg/cow) |
9 |
9 |
| Silage/hay (kg DM/cow) |
6.3 |
6.3 |
| Bacto |
- |
- |
| Bulk milk cell count (‘000 cells/ml) * |
265 (223) |
247 (222) |
| Margin over brought in feed costs ($) |
4.67 |
4.67 |
| * Factory averages are given in brackets for fat and protein % and BMCC |
|
Year to Date |
Last Year to Date |
| Lactation milk yield (l) |
459,844 |
400,391 |
| Lactation fat yield (kg) |
18,414 |
15,471 |
| Lactation protein yield (kg) |
15,131 |
12,283 |
We received some Feedtest results back on our cereal & ryegrass silage last week, both giving fairly typical results. The target dry matter of silage is 40%, however it can vary from 30-60%, depending on the feed source, when it is cut and whether it is pit or wrapped silage. Both of our silages were within this range. Energy is the main production driver in milking cows and the amount of energy contained in conserved forages can vary significantly from as low as 5 to 11 MJ ME/kg DM. Both silages we sampled had 9.6 MJ ME. Protein, the next economically significant nutrient, is generally lower in cereal products (the cereal silage had 11.8 % CP) and higher in ryegrass, clover and lucerne (the ryegrass silage was 16% CP, closer to the cow's requirements). Forages and conserved feed are often low in calcium and imbalanced for macro and trace minerals and indeed both silages were well below requirements for calcium, phosphorous and magnesium.
Both of these forages have obvious limitations, being low in energy, protein and minerals but high in fibre. When used as a substitute for good quality pastures, such as over the summer period, the overall diet can become lower in the key nutrient drivers and increasingly higher in ‘fill factor', thus limiting feed intake. The grain mix we use in the dairy has been formulated with these limitations in mind to meet the cows' productive requirements.
The Dookie Dairy Report will take a break over the Christmas period, coming back with the production report in January and a full report in February. We wish you a relaxing Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
