Lallemand Animal Nutrition is launching a new practical guide to help farmers harness the full potential of fibre from forage,
a crucial area of opportunity for those looking to build business resilience in the face of industry change and rising input costs.
The Forward with Fibre guide sets out step-by-step advice for dairy and beef farmers to improve on-farm efficiency and make savings,
through making better use of fibre at every stage within its on-farm cycle. This begins with maximising fibre potential when
the crop is in the ground and extends right through to improving the value of the fibre in the manure.
According to nutritionist, Roy Eastlake, focusing on fibre offers a huge opportunity to offset some of the external input costs
that can heavily erode margins while also improving environmental credentials.
“Many farmers are still missing out on the significant potential fibre from forage offers, despite it lying well within their management control,” says Mr Eastlake.
“As the agricultural industry transitions through some of the biggest changes seen for a generation and input costs continue to eat away at small margins,
attention to detail to maximise efficiency in this area is an absolute must.”
Highlighting some tangible benefits of improving fibre utilisation, Mr Eastlake cites the 2021 Kingshay Dairy Costings Focus report,
which shows that moving from the bottom 25% of herds for milk from forage, to the top 10% increased margin by 4.36 pence per litre.
(Adapted from Kingshay. 2021)
“Similarly for beef producers, trial work has shown that a 12% increase in neutral detergent fibre (NDF)
can boost average daily gain by 90g/day,” he adds.
Lientjie Colahan, technical sales support at Lallemand and co-author of the booklet,
says the benefits of improved fibre utilisation does not stop at the cow.
“By better understanding fibre and how it works, it’s possible to improve forage quality and
utilise fibre to better effect across the entire farm system,” explains Mrs Colahan.
“This includes focusing on fibre during the plant growth stage, within the forage, as well as fibre digestibility within the rumen,
there’s also the opportunity to improve fibre utilisation in the manure/slurry which could lower the amount of purchased fertiliser required.”
Regardless of your system type, she says for most farms, there are opportunities to achieve incremental improvements.
“Taking a 360-degree view of fibre and the value it offers your farm will give you greater control,
putting your business in a stronger and more resilient position as you navigate the changes that lie ahead.”
Last edited: