Growing Grass In Spring
At the MDF, paddock 4 is about to be grazed, offering 1,200 kg DM grass per ha, 2.3 leaves, at 37 days. Soil moisture is very good, close to perfect. The quantity grown, and the dark green colour, indicates adequate fertiliser. The large clover leaf size, not just in the urine and manure clumps, but all over the paddock, indicates that the P and K are adequate.
The farm is milking the lowest number of cows, for this 1st period of September, than any of the previous 4 years. Milk per cow is close to last year, and as high, for this time of year, as any of the past 5 years. Current grass consumption is the lowest in five years. Fat and protein tests are typical for the farm at this time of the year. A litre per cow (maybe two) of the milk production would be coming off the cows’ backs.
A balancing act is needed between N fertiliser and rotation length. Cows do not graze off long grass easily. It might be due to an increase in grass fibre. It might be because too much grass is on offer. A major reason is simply the height of the grass. Cows bite off about 10 cm at a pass, so 30 cm high grass takes three grazing passes, and the walking (and the urine and manure) on the grass reduces its palatability. Good evidence of this is the very good graze-off of all the grass (long and short) under the electric fence.
More N (an input that is getting costlier by the day) creates more grass and higher grass. A longer grazing rotation (allowing the plant to use more sunlight, a free input) creates more grass and higher grass. Using N, and then having a short (2 leaf) rotation, to avoid long grass, does grow more grass, but it makes for costlier grass.
Note the other MID farm is making more margin, with higher cost of feed per kg MS, and lower proportion of grass in the diet, so the latter are not indicators to focus too much on.
| FEED MARGIN PERFORMANCE | MDF TEN DAYS AGO | MDF THIS TEN DAYS | ANOTHER FARM | Units |
| Ten days to date: | 31-Aug-21 | 10-Sep-21 | 10-Sep-21 | |
| Milker graze area | 62 | 61 | 75 | Ha |
| Milkers | 165 | 200 | 285 | Head |
| Stocking rate | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.8 | cows/ha |
| Average graze rest time | 45 | 35 | 45 | Days |
| Estm’d pasture consmp’n | 25 | 37 | 44 | kg DM/ha/day |
| Pasture consum’d per cow | 9.2 | 11.3 | 11.6 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Pasture growing spend | $2.72 | $2.72 | $2.50 | $/ha/day |
| Estm’d pasture price | $111 | $73 | $56 | $/T DM |
| Conc (incl additives)supp fed/cow | 5.4 | 5.9 | 5.4 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Conc (incl additives)supp avg price | $417 | $417 | $430 | $/T DM |
| Hay/silage supp fed/cow | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Hay/silage supp price | $353 | $/T DM | ||
| Feed Conversion Efficiency | 129 | 114 | 112 | kg MS/tonne DM |
| Total feed intake/cow | 14.5 | 17.0 | 18.4 | kg DM/cow/day |
| NDF Fibre in diet | 30.3% | 31.0% | 32.3% | % NDF |
| Litres/cow | 26.1 | 27.8 | 30.6 | l/cow/day |
| Fat test | 3.69% | 3.59% | 3.65% | % |
| Protein test | 3.54% | 3.46% | 3.23% | % |
| Milk Solids per cow | 1.88 | 1.96 | 2.11 | kg/cow/day |
| Milk price (less levies)/kg MS | $6.40 | $6.45 | $6.41 | $/kg MS |
| Milk price (less levies)/litre | $0.46 | $0.46 | $0.44 | $ per litre |
| Milk income/cow | $12.06 | $12.64 | $13.50 | $/cow/day |
| All feed cost/cow | $3.27 | $3.27 | $3.58 | $/cow/day |
| Margin over all Feed/cow | $8.79 | $9.37 | $9.92 | $/cow/day |
| MOAF /ha /day | $23.39 | $30.72 | $37.68 | $/ha/day |
| Farm MOAF per DAY | $1,450 | $1,874 | $2,826 | $/day |
| Feed cost $/kg MS | $1.74 | $1.67 | $1.70 | $/ kg MS |
| Proportion of grazed grass in diet | 64% | 67% | 63% | % |