"More Milk... Naturally!"
That's Gwyndaf Davies's key message when it comes to profitable milk production.
Gwyndaf manages his herd of 230 holsteins at Trefwtial Farm on the outskirts of Cardigan, West Wales.
This is an excellent grass growing area and so Gwyndaf takes his silage making very seriously. Aiming for high quality, palatable, early cut silage is a skill he has mastered and consistently achieved over many years. The quality and stability of the silage means Dry Matter intakes remain high throughout the winter months leading to healthy cows which produce more milk from forage.
Twice a day milking provides an average yield of 9,000 litres from a forage mix comprising of 60% grass and 40% maize. To produce a profitable 30 litres of milk per cow, per day, it is crucial that the ensiled grass and maize mix makes a significant contribution to maintenance and production requirements.
Discussing herd management Gwyndaf comments: "Intakes play a key part in producing the milk that makes extra profit. By cutting young grass and using a top quality inoculant my silage is so palatable the cows always clean up and look for more. Of the 30 litres average, we can now produce 14 litres from forage."
"Since using Optimize Plus inoculant, the pH has been easier to keep to around 4.0 which really helps the health of the cows. Previously high acid load was a problem with pH often as low as 3.6. Now I have solved this problem I can confidently make young silage without upsetting my cows and their appetite for silage".
"There is plenty of lactobacillus naturally occurring in my grass so the fermentation process is extremely successful already; why risk driving acidity too low and reducing intakes by adding more, to me that doesn't make any sense. I prefer an additive which contains bacillus to do the things for the silage that me and my contractor can't do. Things like protecting the protein and sugars and getting rid of mould spores which come in on the crop. I think we can now produce silage which is ideal for the bugs in the rumen to use the nutrients. If the rumen bugs are happy, they do more digesting, then my cows eat more"
With soaring fuel costs it's becoming more expensive to purchase feed. Concentrates will always be important in diet formulation, but high quality forage with less waste is more important than ever in assisting profits to keep dairy farms financially in good shape.
New "Rumen throughput" silage analysis
Cow health and production relies on careful balancing of fibre, starch, sugars and protein which maximise the bacterial activity and throughput of nutrients within the rumen. EnviroSystems are offering a new "rumen throughput" silage analysis service which assists in TMR rationing.
It is a great concern that milk yields from forage have dropped so significantly in recent years and therefore reassuring that silage can be analysed to more accurately measure bacterial activity in the rumen. This is of great assistance to farmers like Gwyndaf who are focussing their efforts on the efficiency of every mouthful of silage to cut waste to a minimum and keep the silage/concentrate ratio to 60:40 on a Dry Matter basis.
About last year's silage-making Gwyndaf says "I harvest my 1st cut as early as possible, usually before 10th May as this gives me more options with the weather for cutting 2nd and 3rd crops. The cows have nearly cleared the clamp this year, I made plenty of silage but they just can't get enough of it."
"These days I know when I open my clamps that the silage will be well preserved and palatable. It's a relief after so many years that I've found an additive that does what I want. The cows prove it's good, they are happy, comfortable and making a profit, and that's what makes my way of life so rewarding."
Some important considerations for successful silage production in addition to the above are regular reseeding with silage/grazing leys, early cutting, longer chop if the grass is very leafy (2" minimum) , careful clamping/sheeting and leaving the clamp closed for a minimum of six weeks after ensiling.
TopTip
Accurate silage analysis is essential in the correct balancing of the diet; Contact EnviroSystems for more information on new analysis which predicts the "rate of digestion". By measuring more accurately the rate of passage of nutrients through the rumen i.e. bacterial activity, the real quality of the silage and its ability to produce milk can be more reliably predicted.
Call Envirosystems to find out more: 01772 860 085
Or fill in our enquiry form HERE and we'll contact you!!
