Managing feed margin and fodder:
The cost of grass production and the milk price are two crucial factors in determining feed margin. The MDF’s early June daily feed margins, compared to summer (mid Jan) are remarkably similar ($2,100/day). The feed margin peaked at $2,900 per day in Spring. The factors and conditions that affect the feed margin are continually changing. Currently, home grown silage is being fed, barley as purchased grain is relatively cheap, and the grass grown is not irrigated, so feed costs have plummeted. However, there is less grass in the diet now, the grain has less energy, and the herd is in late lactation, with lowered intake capacity and increasing body condition, so it is not converting feed as efficiently to milk. However, the much higher milk price is a major lifter of margin. Continual monitoring of conditions, and changing of grazing/feed settings, is required to maximise the feed margin at any time.
The management of new pastures during winter also requires constant vigilance. Paddock 32 was sowewhat pugged and weedy, so recently re-sown. The new ryegrass is growing well, and will likely out- grow the Winter Grass and Chickweed which are strongly present in the sward. But, because of the cultivation, the soil is much softer than other paddocks, so is more likely to pug again when grazed, making it more likely that more weeds will invade. This can be a cyclic problem with re-sowing programs, and must be managed to mitigate these issues.
| FEED MARGIN PERFORMANCE | MDF TEN DAYS AGO | MDF MNTH TARGET | MDF THIS TEN DAYS | Units |
| Ten days to date: | 10-Jun-20 | Jun | 20-Jun-20 | |
| Milker graze area | 67 | 60 | 64 | Ha |
| Milkers | 220 | 190 | 200 | Head |
| Stocking rate | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | cows/ha |
| Average graze rest time | 38 | 37 | Days | |
| Estm’d pasture consmp’n | 29 | 21 | 26 | kg DM/ha/day |
| Pasture consum’d per cow | 8.7 | 6.5 | 8.2 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Pasture growing spend | $2.49 | $2.49 | $/ha/day | |
| Estm’d pasture price | $87 | $97 | $/T DM | |
| Conc (incl additives)supp fed/cow | 6.3 | 7.2 | 6.3 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Conc (incl additives)supp avg price | $370 | $370 | $/T DM | |
| Hay/silage supp fed/cow | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.6 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Hay/silage supp price | $200 | $200 | $/T DM | |
| Feed Conversion Efficiency | 99 | 97 | kg MS/tonne DM | |
| Total feed intake/cow | 16.8 | 16.1 | 15.8 | kg DM/cow/day |
| NDF Fibre in diet | 32.7% | 31.6% | % NDF | |
| Litres/cow | 19.0 | 17.2 | 17.4 | l/cow/day |
| Fat test | 4.92% | 4.70% | 4.89% | % |
| Protein test | 3.98% | 4.05% | 4.08% | % |
| Milk Solids per cow | 1.69 | 1.50 | 1.56 | kg/cow/day |
| Milk price (less levies)/kg MS | $7.72 | $7.76 | $/kg MS | |
| Milk price (less levies)/litre | $0.69 | $0.70 | $ per litre | |
| Milk income/cow | $13.04 | $12.10 | $/cow/day | |
| All feed cost/cow | $3.49 | $3.44 | $/cow/day | |
| Margin over all Feed/cow | $9.55 | $8.17 | $8.66 | $/cow/day |
| MOAF /ha /day | $31.37 | $25.87 | $27.07 | $/ha/day |
| Farm MOAF per DAY | $2,101 | $1,552 | $1,732 | $/day |