All things Dairy

[In the pit]

What ingredients are in a “top of the range” cake? Surely thats what decides if its good value. Rather than a rep telling you its their most expensive & therefore the best. A fancy name doesn’t mean much.

Same as most other cakes

 

[Wesley]

Same as most other cakes

They all might have similar specs but a lot of them arrive at them different ways. Normally to do with what they’ve bought & how well they’ve bought them.

 

[More to life]

Wheat will have to move or people will starve 100s of times faster than they are being shot in ukraine

I agree just don't think it's going to happen

 

[In the pit]

They all might have similar specs but a lot of them arrive at them different ways. Normally to do with what they’ve bought & how well they’ve bought them.

The contents of cake is continually changing ,if you order a 18% cake they put in what they want as long as it comes out at 18%

 

[Jdunn55]

No someone who had targets of milk for heifers and cows that if they didn’t reach them they were got rid off
Strange he doesnt milk any more
We’ve had a good dry spring this year ,next year could be totally different cow milk wise

Which is exactly why I'm doing what I'm doing

 

[Jdunn55]

What ingredients are in a “top of the range” cake? Surely thats what decides if its good value. Rather than a rep telling you its their most expensive & therefore the best. A fancy name doesn’t mean much.

Maize and sugar beet would be the top 2 ingredients, will have a full spec sheet next week

 

[Beef farmer]

Not if fixed formulation

The contents of cake is continually changing ,if you order a 18% cake they put in what they want as long as it comes out at 18%

 

[In the pit]

Not if fixed formulation

Is there such a thing

 

[In the pit]

Which is exactly why I'm doing what I'm doing

What getting rid of cows if they don’t hit the targets you want

 

[Beef farmer]

If there is not, then just buy the cheapest you can. Kinda what I do. Just want a 18% brown nut

Is there such a thing

 

[In the pit]

If there is not, then just buy the cheapest you can. Kinda what I do. Just want a 18% brown nut

It’s all we do
Cake ingredients change nearly every load
Seems to be whatever straights are in the yard at the time

 

[Wesley]

Is there such a thing

Normally reformulated twice a year. Spring & Autumn.

 

[In the pit]

Was told before as long as cake is 18% mills can put in what they want

 

[Wesley]

If there is not, then just buy the cheapest you can. Kinda what I do. Just want a 18% brown nut

I don’t think there’s any right or wrong. It depends what your after & how much you feed. If you’re chasing litres consistency is the name of the game, low input grazing then its cost.

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

@Jdunn55 would you be better putting your cows back to Holstein if your going to chase yields?

 

[Jdunn55]

@Jdunn55 would you be better putting your cows back to Holstein if your going to chase yields?

Possibly, right now though I'm really pleased and impressed with my friesians. They've milked fantastically well this year considering how rubbish I am

I don't want yields in 5 figures really, I would struggle to manage a herd of them and graze, with a few tweaks I can look after cows up to 9000-9500 litres fairly well. But 8000 average is the sweet spot for me and where I want to eventually be.
I want them to work hard until the end of april/may (depending on rainfall) and then cake will be cut back and hopefully cruise through he rest of the year. But those first 100 days set up the last 200 which is why I push them then. Anything over 150 dim is currently on 1-2kgs of cake

 

[som farmer]

The contents of cake is continually changing ,if you order a 18% cake they put in what they want as long as it comes out at 18%

With a plus or minus 1.8 % p tolerance, however, you would be lucky to get a plus !
but different ingredients, while having a 'in spec' feed value, does not mean the cow can fully utilise that value, some go out the other end, quicker, than the cow can fully utilise it, but feed reps don't tell you that.
The nearer you can get to high % of 'decent' straights, the better the cake, but its a minefield, in which we know very little, and reps take advantage of that.
We have used straight rolled, crimped or caustic, on and off for years, depending on price, and availability, and every time, we think home mix, feeds better than cake, but it is hassle, if you have to drive miles to get it, weigh bridge etc. We now are growing our own, and will buy a blend, to 'bulk' it up, so it lasts right through.

 

[som farmer]

Possibly, right now though I'm really pleased and impressed with my friesians. They've milked fantastically well this year considering how rubbish I am

I don't want yields in 5 figures really, I would struggle to manage a herd of them and graze, with a few tweaks I can look after cows up to 9000-9500 litres fairly well. But 8000 average is the sweet spot for me and where I want to eventually be.
I want them to work hard until the end of april/may (depending on rainfall) and then cake will be cut back and hopefully cruise through he rest of the year. But those first 100 days set up the last 200 which is why I push them then. Anything over 150 dim is currently on 1-2kgs of cake

same principle with ours, calve oct/nov, feed well over winter, and then to make the most off grass, or, its the return of the tried and tested system, that somehow got altered, probably by sweet talking reps. I agree 8000 litres is the sweet spot, your cows will decide if your management meets that, we aimed for 8, cows looking at 9.5, mainly due to excellent silage, last year, whether its repeatable, with this years silage, remains to be seen, went in well.

 

[Wesley]

don't want yields in 5 figures really, I would struggle to manage a herd of them and graze, with a few tweaks I can look after cows up to 9000-9500 litres fairly well. But 8000 average is the sweet spot for me and where I want to eventually be.

Up to 9000 is pretty straight forward, the higher you go above that is where the hard work comes in. We’re pretty much stuck at 9500. The cows are capable of a lot more but our existing setup isn’t.

 

[Jdunn55]

Up to 9000 is pretty straight forward, the higher you go above that is where the hard work comes in. We’re pretty much stuck at 9500. The cows are capable of a lot more but our existing setup isn’t.

Agreed, I should also add I don't want to average at 9000 (by the time you account for heifers etc which bring it down) but I can look after individual cows doing that fine.