VERY CHALLENGING PERIOD!

• Milk price is down a lot from last year – nearly 20c/L in March for some farmers!
• Expensive diesel is an issue, but it is also driving many costs up.
• Fertiliser is more expensive, but its availability will also be a concern.
• Spring weather has taken its toll on farmer morale, and on spending:
  • Meal use to date, by far the highest of all input cost and giving one of the lowest returns (3% - 4%), is far higher than usual.
  • Many silage pits are totally empty; therefore, we can predict a winter fodder shortage on many dairy farms next winter!
• However, dairy farmers are resilient and they must always be!
• Therefore, I need only remind you to stick to your good practices plan:
  • Stay up to date on your financial management controls.
  • Try to get the most out of your grass this year to feed less meal and get higher milk yields. Do this by:
    • Growing as much grass as possible for the remainder of the season; and
    • Feed the highest quality grass you can to grazing animals.
  • Manage the breeding season so that you have compact calving next year and fewer cull cows to sell this autumn.
  • Manage animal health by not cutting back on preventative healthcare.
• Keep yourself in good health – you are the key!

KNOW THE RELATIVE COSTS OF FEEDS

• In a period where we must tighten the belt, it is vital to know the relative values of feedstuffs.
• They may have changed slightly due to recent cost rises but the relative values are fairly accurate. We compared the various grass/forage options in relative costs to grazed grass per energy utilised, giving grazed grass a score of 1.0:
  • Grazed grass = 1.0
  • Grazed grass + white clover = 0.6
  • Pit silage = 3.3
  • Baled silage = 3.7
  • Red clover pit silage = 2.7
  • Red clover x 3 cuts = 3.1
  • Maize silage = 3.2
  • Fodder beet = 2.8
  • Purchased rolled barley (fresh at €390/t) = 5.2
• From this, it is obvious that we must increase the clover content of our farms as it is 40% better value than a straight grass field.
• As I said before, red clover must be used on outside land to generate some of our silage needs.
• If you are likely to be tight in winter feed, based on this you can and should make plans now.

GRASS MANAGEMENT IN MAY IS KEY!

• Grazed grass is five times cheaper than meal per kilogramme DM; we must focus and rely heavily on it to get us through this period of ‘price-cost squeeze’.
• Firstly, if overstocked, you are going to be in a tail-spin of being short of grazed grass and short of silage next winter. That means buying more meals and silage for next winter. This is the wrong approach for this year.
  • Sell off surplus cows, particularly cows with problems or poor yielders.
• May management of grass is key for high quality and high yields for the remainder of the year.
• Weekly grass measurement and recording the data through PastureBase are key. Let us remind ourselves of the key targets:
  • Pre-grazing covers (PGC) of 1,400kg-1,600kg DM/ha.
  • Average farm covers (AFC) of 160kg-180kg DM/ha.
  • Post-grazing heights (PGH) of 4cm.
  • Match animal demand per hectare with predicted growth rates in PastureBase’s weekly newsletter for your area.
  • A rotation length of 18-21 days.
• Based on past data on PastureBase, more than 50 per cent of dairy farmers have been grazing covers that are too high during May. This indicates that they are afraid to aim for the targets or they ‘get caught on-the-hop’ when grass growth takes off.
  • For sure, this results in loss of milk and reduced percentage protein in milk. The target loss of milk from one week to the next is 2% - 2.5% (preferably 2%).
• By watching both your PGC and AFC, you will be able to identify impending surpluses (and deficits) before they arise. You must react to a surplus by removing the surplus for baled silage – and remember the quicker you react, the lower the cost of the reaction!
• If PGC is higher than target and AFC is also higher than target, then you must:
  1. Remove one or two paddocks, immediately, for round baled silage or,
  2. Bring extra stock into the cow area to graze out paddocks or,
  3. Reduce meal levels.
• If PGC is lower than target and AFC is also lower than target you should:
  1. Introduce meals/quality bales.
  2. Graze some of silage ground if not too strong. This may have to be pre-cut to get good utilisation or strip graze small allowances per day.
• If PGC is higher than target and AFC is also lower than target, then you should:
  1. Continue grazing the high covers or,
  2. Pre-cut to maximise utilisation.
• If PGCs are lower than your targets and the AFC are higher than your targets and if growth rates are good, then unless a lot lower, you should be safe enough.
• The key is to measure at least once/week but twice /week if you are making adjustments.
• Leaving the correct PGH is key to providing quality grass for the remainder of the year. Use a plate meter/discussion group to train your eye to the PGHs advised. Managing PGH is a key grassland management skill, because:
  • Leaving high PGHs results in wasted grass because every 1cm above 4cm is equal to 250kg DM/ha. This would feed 14 cows for one day! If that’s your system and you under-graze to 5cm on seven rotations, then you are wasting 1.75t DM grass/ha, which is worth €780 in meal saving.
  • High PGHs lead to more stem in subsequent grazing rotations – hence, quality decreases.
  • That grass left behind will not be available for grazing next time as the plant starts three new leaves – it rots, leaving a sour butt.
  • Poor tillering results because sunlight doesn’t reach the base of the plant.
  • Good graze outs result in no topping – now a badge of honour as you save on labour and diesel.
• A key principle to remember: a grass plant has three leaves and during the key grass growing season a new leaf develops every six to seven days.
  • When there is ‘great growth’ a new leaf comes up every six days; hence, rotation lengths should decrease to 17-18 days.
  • With restricted availability of N to grow grass, we will have to use photosynthesis working on larger leaves to make up the deficit.
• Stocking rate on milking platform decides what the pre-grazing cover should be:
  • 3 cows per hectare: 1,130kg DM/ha.
  • 3.5 cows per hectare: 1,310kg DM/ha.
  • 3.75 cows per hectare: 1,400kg DM/ha.
  • 4.0 cows per hectare: 1,490kg DM/ha.
  • 4.25 cows per hectare: 1,580 kg DM/ha.
  • 4.5 cows per hectare: 1,670 kg DM/ha.
  • Above this stocking rate, high levels of meal need to be fed.

USE FERTILISER NOT MEAL

• The response is 0.8kg milk (value 30c) for every 1kg meal (cost = 33c) fed in the range 1kg to 3kg/day. Above that meal feeding level the response is 0.5kg to 0.6kg (value 23c) per kg meal.
  • If you have to feed more than 2kg meal/cow/day you need to review your system.
  • The percentage protein in the meal should be 12%.
• Research has shown that the return on investment in meal is 3% while the return to applied fertiliser is 48%.
• Get your fertiliser use correct in May. Use protected urea as your N source in May – at all costs, we must encourage clover by reducing N levels from now to year end as follows:

*Note: Chemical N fertiliser can be increased to 230kg N/ha/yr in paddocks with no clover as long as the whole farm N does not exceed 212kg N/ha/year.

• You won’t grow enough grass if you don’t have 53% of your year’s nitrogen allowance used by the end of May because there are only four applications left for the remainder of the year and growth rates will be slowing down.
  • Not adhering to this principle will guarantee you won’t have maximised grass grown on the farm.
  • Most farmers, because they have a very high proportion of land away from the milking platform, will be able to use 230kg N/ha on the milking platform (MP) if they stay under the annual target of 212kg N/ha. And that extra 18kg N should be used in May when the response is greatest.
• On light soils deficient in S, you will grow more grass (10% - 50% based on research).
  • With no restriction in S use, you must use one unit of S for every 12 units of N used.
  • If using S on copper-deficient or high-molybdenum farms, antagonised deficiency may result, so make sure to give animals a copper bolus.
• Cows should be given areas that last for 24, 36, or 48 hours’ grazing.
  • As well as being beneficial for the cows, it will be less laborious for the farmer.
• Grass contains sugar, and its level is higher in the afternoon than in morning.
  • To take advantage of this, let the cows into fresh grass after the evening’s milking to achieve more milk and percentage protein.
  • The longer the leaf, the greater the surface area available to trap sunshine.

CUT SOME SILAGE EARLY

• You should make 40% - 50% of your silage at 73% - 74% DMD by cutting it in mid-May. Late heading grass varieties allow you to achieve this quality when cutting later but before heading out.
  • Because of the year we have had this may not have been planned but taking a light first cut will be more than compensated with a heavier second cut.
  • Make sure to wilt your silage to ensure good preservation.
• Fertiliser for second cut: Now is a great time to apply slurry: 2,000 gallons/acre (8-10 units N), to return P and K where most needed.
  • Follow this seven to 10 days later with protected urea + S
    (1.5 bags 38:0:0 + 7S).
  • If no slurry is available, apply 70 units N and two to three bags 0:7:30 depending on soil fertility.
  • For aftergrass, apply 2.5 to three bags of 18:6:12.
• It is also an opportunity to apply lime, where necessary on cut silage fields. But apply the slurry first and the lime one week later (definitely not in the reverse order), the same time as bag N, P and K.

CHECK YOUR BREEDING MANAGEMENT

• This month, we need to check that everything is going to plan. Basically, that is, that you are submitting the expected numbers of cows for AI each week to meet the 90% three-week target and, that repeats are along expected lines also. See tables 1 and 2. At the very least, make these checks at the end of each week but it is better to do it daily.

Table 1: Herd check on submission rates.

• If you haven’t or are not meeting those targets, you need to act fast or you will pay the consequences in delayed calving next year.
  • If fewer than four to five cows/day per 100 cows are being artificially inseminated (AI'd), then something is wrong.
  • Talk to your vet or adviser for solutions.
• Are conception rates or non-return rates (NRR) along expected lines?
  • You should be hitting NRR of in excess of 60%; that means not more than 12 cows per 100-cow herd should be repeating per week.
  • The daily check is better, less than two per day, as you are more on top of trends.
  • Again, talk to your vet or adviser if a problem exists. They will try to identify possible causes and suggest actions.

Table 2: Herd check on conception rates/non-return rates (NRR).

• Body condition score (BCS) all cows now (mid-May and again mid-June). Any cow that is 2.75 or under should be put on once-a-day (OAD) milking for a short time. If cows are still losing weight, even if in good condition, they must be put on OAD milking.
• I recommend scanning cows that have been served 30+ days and appear ‘to have held’.
  • This will confirm pregnancies.
  • It will help to identify cows you thought were pregnant and are not.
  • And it will also identify poor pregnancies – these are unlikely to be identified at the next due heat day.
  • With this information, you will be able, with the help of your vet and scanner, to put these cows in calf in three to five days.
  • Sounds like a big job – it is not!
    • Batch cows by week of AI-ing into week one, two and three.
    • Easily done with collars but if you use tail paint, raddle mark AId cows across the shoulder, each week with a different colour.
    • Then week one will be scanned on day 35 after mating start date (MSD); week two scanned day 42 after MSD and week three will be scanned on day 49 after MSD.
    • Many farmers are now doing these scans to very good effect.
• Vasectomised bulls: They are invaluable if you do not have collars, as they work 24/7.
  • Use a correct fitting chin ball with the correct paint, which must be topped up after every 10-15 heats.
  • Remember, it is only the paint marks on top of the back that count – young bulls, during courtship, will mark cows on the side; this is not a heat.
  • Don’t use him until two or fewer cows are repeating per day.
• Beef bulls:
  • Choose the best DBI bulls for your herd; easy calving is essential.
  • Stock bulls now have little or no part to play on dairy farms with collars widely available. Beef AI is much, much cheaper, gives more valuable calves and carries less risk. But if you have to use, introduce and monitor them with diligence.
  • Lame bulls will malfunction.
  • Young bulls need more feed and time off as they use up more energy.
  • Of course, he should have been vaccinated and fertility tested.
  • For the first seven to 10 days post AI, after introducing the bull, continue to AI all repeats so as to avoid a ‘lull’ in calving during that transition period next year – the bull has to ‘settle in’.
  • For a 120-cow herd and three weeks’ AI you require two mature bulls. For the same number of cows and six weeks’ AI you need one mature bull or two young bulls.
  • In order to monitor him, use a chin ball or continue tail painting the cows.

Bits and pieces

• Light calves should be kept on milk replacer until they are 110kg for weaning and fed 1-2kg meal (18% P) until they catch up.
  • Calves that are 110+ kg now should be off meals.
• Monitor calves and heifers that are with contract rearer; R1s should be 110kg - 120kg now while R2s should be 330kg - 360kg now depending on breed.
  • In the agreement with contract rearer you should get animal weights every two to three months so as not to have problems on collection if too light.
  • Because contract rearing and rearing replacements are very expensive, you should only rear 20% - 22% replacement units.
• Stocking rate band 3 – greater than 6,313L per cow in 2025. You may have taken this option.
  • If your average milk yield/cow in May is greater than 28.7L, then you will fall into band 3 for stocking rate. Take steps to manage.

Message for the month

“Think about the quality of your expenditure! Some expenses are just costs, some expenses are dead-weight costs, and some expenses are almost investments. Examples of ‘just costs’ could be fuel, personal drawings, and repairs and maintenance. Examples of dead-weight costs could be interest on last year’s cash deficit carried forward to this year, rates, and penalties of all kinds. Costs that are almost investments could be fertiliser, good seed, good farm management advice, three-day weekend costs, and wedding anniversary presents. Make sure you think laterally about costs – sometimes with plant policies, interest payments on replacement purchases are a better value for money than repairs on existing items.”
PS Alexander, New Zealand consultant.