Mid-Late Lactation
Concentrates are best utilised during mid-late lactation to fill feed deficits, as a tool to maximise pasture utilisation, and to extend days in milk.
Feeding concentrates should sustain milk production at higher levels and allow the herd more days in milk, whilst maintaining pasture cover. Substitution is lower when cows are underfed, so feeding concentrates is most profitable when used to fill pasture deficits or extend the lactation period. It is important to maximise pasture utilisation and minimise feed substitution so the cow’s overall feed intake increases.
Make sure pasture is eaten by the herd, not trampled underfoot or lost through senescence (decay) when long grass is left standing. Feeding concentrates can assist grazing management ensuring better utilisation of pasture. It is essential to maximise pasture utilisation and minimise feed substitution so overall feed intake increases.
Often all that is required is ‘topping up’ the feed supply during February-March and the autumn rains will ensure pasture is available to feed the herd through until 31 May. Those farmers that dry off their herds early during a dry year can miss this opportunity, when the flexibility of feed concentrates will provide an easy solution.
Many NZ seasonal supply dairy farms produce only 30-35% of annual milk production after Christmas. A typical herd lactation length in NZ is 250 days, yet many top herds milk for 280-300 days. For many farms there is a huge opportunity to fill the summer/autumn dry feed deficit and subsequently extend the lactation period.
On many New Zealand farms there is a pasture shortage during summer or early autumn in most years. The flexibility of concentrates means they can be fed if and when required, without months of planning and investment.
The extra milk yield from feeding in mid-late lactation can be >100g milk solids per kilogram of concentrate. Further gains can be achieved through improving pasture utilisation. Filling the summer/autumn feed deficit so days in milk can be extended can also be very valuable.
• Additional 9kg MS from 75kg concentrate during summer dry = $45
• 28 days extra milk autumn production at 1.2kg MS/cow/day = $168
(via supplementing pasture with 2kg concentrate for 60 days)
At a cost of $120, there is a return of $213 per cow.
Feeding concentrates strategically during the summer-autumn dry period, and to extend lactation, can be an excellent way to improve on-farm profitability.
