Laser grading impacts at the MDF
Macalister Demonstration Farm Update 534 (Wednesday 20th January 2021)
With multiple paddocks out of the rotation due to grading, the MDF grazing area has been lowered by 10 ha. With less paddocks on offer, cows have been pushed quite hard during the last month to eat maximum grass per paddock, including the poorer quality clumps. This has meant for a while, that pasture consumption per cow remained at 11 kg DM but the cows have inevitably settled on lower grass intake (9 kg), and lower milk production (1.70 kg MS). They are now not willing to eat any more of the poorer quality grass that might be in the paddocks. More grain and silage is being fed to compensate for less grass, as the pasture consumption has fallen significantly from near 60 kg DM/ ha/day a month ago, to 40. So, the two main feeding efficiencies, grass per ha and milk per cow, have been lost to some extent, and the feed margin has fallen significantly.
The subsurface drip area is now laser graded ready for automated flood irrigation. A lot of black pipe bits had to be collected; much of it was filled with silt, something we did not think would happen.
| FEED MARGIN PERFORMANCE | MDF TEN DAYS AGO | MDF THIS TEN DAYS | Units |
| Ten days to date: | 10-Jan-21 | 20-Jan-21 | |
| Milker graze area | 64 | 63 | Ha |
| Milkers | 288 | 288 | Head |
| Stocking rate | 4.5 | 4.6 | cows/ha |
| Average graze rest time | 29 | 30 | Days |
| Estm’d pasture consmp’n | 50 | 40 | kg DM/ha/day |
| Pasture consum’d per cow | 11.2 | 8.8 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Pasture growing spend | $5.74 | $5.74 | $/ha/day |
| Estm’d pasture price | $114 | $142 | $/T DM |
| Conc (incl additives)supp fed/cow | 5.4 | 6.5 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Conc (incl additives)supp avg price | $392 | $381 | $/T DM |
| Hay/silage supp fed/cow | 0.0 | 1.4 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Hay/silage supp price | $267 | $/T DM | |
| Feed Conversion Efficiency | 105 | 102 | kg MS/tonne DM |
| Total feed intake/cow | 16.4 | 16.3 | kg DM/cow/day |
| NDF Fibre in diet | 33.4% | 32.0% | % NDF |
| Litres/cow | 23.3 | 22.5 | l/cow/day |
| Fat test | 4.14% | 4.21% | % |
| Protein test | 3.31% | 3.31% | % |
| Milk Solids per cow | 1.74 | 1.70 | kg/cow/day |
| Milk price (less levies)/kg MS | $6.24 | $6.23 | $/kg MS |
| Milk price (less levies)/litre | $0.46 | $0.47 | $ per litre |
| Milk income/cow | $10.84 | $10.57 | $/cow/day |
| All feed cost/cow | $3.39 | $4.09 | $/cow/day |
| Margin over all Feed/cow | $7.44 | $6.48 | $/cow/day |
| MOAF /ha /day | $33.49 | $29.63 | $/ha/day |
| Farm MOAF per DAY | $2,143 | $1,867 | $/day |