Question for the grazers

[BobbySusie]

What does your meal usage look like. What rate are you feeding per day from calving , through summer and now into the back end.

I’m targeting 500kg of meal per cow per annum.

 

[dairyrow]

at that rate your just filling grass shortage. I would of thought but i'm not a proper spring calver.

 

[BobbySusie]

at that rate your just filling grass shortage. I would of thought but i'm not a proper spring calver.

Im starting milking next spring, i'm relief milking for a neighbour at weekends, to get experience, he is milking jersey cross cows, 70% Irish Friesian in them, feeding 500kg of meal aiming for 480-500kg solids. Grass from early to mid Feb to late November. The UFL of his meal is 0.96 and is a high energy maize ration €265 a ton.
He feeds no meal from Mid May until mid july.

 

[In the pit]

Three fives
500 kg cake
500 kg cow
500 kg milk solids

 

[som farmer]

our cake usage has gone out the equation this summer, no grass, forage rape was way behind schedule, that's life, if you need to feed, you have to ! but it has left us short of forage for the winter, but the kale for outwintering, has had a real growth spurt, so that's better, will have to buy hay/straw/silage to feed them !

 

[Beef farmer]

Three fives
500 kg cake
500 kg cow
500 kg milk solids

£500 profit per cow?

 

[In the pit]

£500 profit per cow?

Of course

 

[Grassman247]

1.4T/concentrate/cow all fed through the parlour

650Kg’s milksolids/cow

Calve down on 8kgs and move onto 4 as they go out to grass, stay on 4kg’s until drying off.

 

[Manney]

1.4T/concentrate/cow all fed through the parlour

650Kg’s milksolids/cow

Calve down on 8kgs and move onto 4 as they go out to grass, stay on 4kg’s until drying off.

Very similar to what I do.

1.2t per cow all fed in parlour.

560kg solids per cow

Start on 6kg when calved down and reduce when out on grass to 4kg. 4kg most of the grazing season but reduce feed rate back october to dry off.

I would say I over feed but I've been doing the same thing for many years. I know it works for me and I get very consistent results.

 

[Walwyn]

1.4T/concentrate/cow all fed through the parlour

650Kg’s milksolids/cow

Calve down on 8kgs and move onto 4 as they go out to grass, stay on 4kg’s until drying off.

What would your stocking rate be on platform? Idea of average cow body weight?

 

[Devon lad]

Very similar to what I do.

1.2t per cow all fed in parlour.

560kg solids per cow

Start on 6kg when calved down and reduce when out on grass to 4kg. 4kg most of the grazing season but reduce feed rate back october to dry off.

I would say I over feed but I've been doing the same thing for many years. I know it works for me and I get very consistent results.

What litres/KgsMS do they peak at?
Do you completely dry off?

 

[Manney]

What litres/KgsMS do they peak at?
Do you completely dry off?

30l or 2.25kg solids in May, mostly British fr with about 15% of the herd being jr or jrx

Yes total dry off in mid December.

Plan to start calving 1st Feb but in reality it will start a week before.

 

[Grassman247]

What would your stocking rate be on platform? Idea of average cow body weight?

3.25 cows/ha but it can be reduced to 2.5 cows/ha by not making any 3rd cut.

There probably 600kgs plus, don’t really weigh the cows. Heifers we bull at 390kgs

 

[Grassman247]

What would your stocking rate be on platform? Idea of average cow body weight?

3.25 cows/ha but it can be reduced to 2.5 cows/ha by not making any 3rd cut.

There probably 600kgs plus, don’t really weigh the cows. Heifers we bull at 390kgs

 

[Walwyn]

3.25 cows/ha but it can be reduced to 2.5 cows/ha by not making any 3rd cut.

There probably 600kgs plus, don’t really weigh the cows. Heifers we bull at 390kgs

Thank you. Still impressive production, although a bigger cow than in the 3 5's scenario. Also good work getting heifers to 390kg for breeding. Would you be on the 2.5 for first round in spring?or I suppose what I'm getting at is can you do majority of the season without conserved forage?

 

[Grassman247]

Thank you. Still impressive production, although a bigger cow than in the 3 5's scenario. Also good work getting heifers to 390kg for breeding. Would you be on the 2.5 for first round in spring?or I suppose what I'm getting at is can you do majority of the season without conserved forage?

First round is at 3.5 cows/ha then we open more ground up after first cut. It’s all weather dependant, it’s a heavy clay farm so can be really wet or very dry. In the last 10 years we have probably had to supplement 5 of those times in the autumn

 

[Walwyn]

First round is at 3.5 cows/ha then we open more ground up after first cut. It’s all weather dependant, it’s a heavy clay farm so can be really wet or very dry. In the last 10 years we have probably had to supplement 5 of those times in the autumn

Reason I ask, our SR has increased last couple of years and as a result had to feed silage more often through the season and it always knocks production back. Struggling to get back near 500 kg MS and feeding 1.2t+ but have more land coming into the platform next year (which is the reason for higher SR last 2 years) so will be back down to 3.5 cows/ha. Spent majority of this year between 4.5 & 5.

 

[som farmer]

we spent this summer feeding cake hay and silage, serious drought = no grass. Used up all reserves of fodder last year, farming does test you, when you could really do without the hassle !!

 

[jerseyjon]

we spent this summer feeding cake hay and silage, serious drought = no grass. Used up all reserves of fodder last year, farming does test you, when you could really do without the hassle !!

Not just me then! Everyone keeps telling me what a better year this year was but cannot see it we had no grass for much of the summer then when it started to rain it did not stop. The spring was cold and dry. Another trying year

 

[som farmer]

Not just me then! Everyone keeps telling me what a better year this year was but cannot see it we had no grass for much of the summer then when it started to rain it did not stop. The spring was cold and dry. Another trying year

we must have upset the rain gods