Utilising urea: determining margins
Urea is currently very expensive and has been the topic of much discussion at the MDF. The seasonal move from winter foliar sprays back to urea in the spring was delayed this year due to pricing, with a previous report stating that at the current pricing, the pasture would need to produce an extra 15kg per day to justify fertilising. An unfertilised MID pasture, or a paddock with some form of constraint or issue, would average closer to 30 kg DM/day. With urea at the current pricing, if there was a 15 kg growth rate response, increasing production to 45 kg/ha/day, the cost of that extra grass would be $230 per tonne dry matter. $230/t DM could be profitable, if the cows had a very high milk response, and considering the price of other feed and the price of milk (The GDT auction is up 4.6 % today!). To get a 15 kg grass response from N, all grass growing factors need to be absolutely spot on.
At the MDF, the current grass consumption is 43 kg DM/ha/day, with individual paddocks performing above and below this average. For example, paddock 13 is about to be grazed at 30 days rest. This is a paddock with waterlogging issues and an older ryegrass stand, with some weeds apparent in the sward.
While the current soil moisture is excellent, the distichum is growing well and the ryegrass is not dark green. This indicates a period of waterlogging and subsequent loss of N, although urea is being applied at 80 kg/hectare.
This particular paddock has grown at an average of 30 kg DM/ha/day, so maybe urea is not justified on this paddock. In contrast, other paddocks on the farm which are performing at or above 45 kg/ha/day could provide a worthwhile ROI from urea fertilisation. It is worth checking your current growth rates on high and low performing pasture to determine whether fertiliser at the current prices is viable.
As well as highlighting the urea ROI on-farm, another factor which can affect farm performance is the presence or absence of the farm manager. Like many farmers with school aged children, taking time off in school holidays does throw a management curve ball to the dairy system, and at the moment, our farm manager Mahesh is taking a well deserved break. The absence of any farm manager’s accumulated knowledge and extensive experience means production on many dairy farms will probably drop a little despite the best efforts of the staff, and the MDF is no exception to this rule.
| FEED MARGIN PERFORMANCE | MDF THIS TIME LAST YEAR | MDF TEN DAYS AGO | MDF THIS TEN DAYS | Units |
| Ten days to date: | 20,Jan,21 | 10,Jan,22 | 20,Jan,22 | |
| Milker graze area | 63 | 68 | 66 | Ha |
| Milkers | 288 | 295 | 295 | Head |
| Stocking rate | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.4 | cows/ha |
| Average graze rest time | 30 | 30 | 30 | Days |
| Estm’d pasture consmp’n | 40 | 47 | 43 | kg DM/ha/day |
| Pasture consum’d per cow | 8.8 | 10.7 | 9.6 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Pasture growing spend | $5.74 | $7.62 | $7.62 | $/ha/day |
| Estm’d pasture price | $142 | $163 | $178 | $/T DM |
| Conc (incl additives)supp fed/cow | 6.5 | 5.9 | 6.3 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Conc (incl additives)supp avg price | $381 | $430 | $430 | $/T DM |
| Hay/silage supp fed/cow | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | kg DM/cow/day |
| Hay/silage supp price | $267 | $/T DM | ||
| Feed Conversion Efficiency | 102 | 105 | 103 | kg MS/tonne DM |
| Total feed intake/cow | 16.3 | 16.4 | 15.7 | kg DM/cow/day |
| NDF Fibre in diet | 32.0% | 32.7% | 31.5% | % NDF |
| Litres/cow | 22.5 | 23.5 | 21.8 | l/cow/day |
| Fat test | 4.21% | 4.01% | 4.13% | % |
| Protein test | 3.32% | 3.42% | 3.39% | % |
| Milk Solids per cow | 1.70 | 1.75 | 1.64 | kg/cow/day |
| Milk price (less levies)/kg MS | $6.36 | $6.85 | $6.83 | $/kg MS |
| Milk price (less levies)/litre | $0.48 | $0.51 | $0.51 | $ per litre |
| Milk income/cow | $10.79 | $11.96 | $11.22 | $/cow/day |
| All feed cost/cow | $4.09 | $4.27 | $4.42 | $/cow/day |
| Margin over all Feed/cow | $6.71 | $7.69 | $6.80 | $/cow/day |
| MOAF /ha /day | $30.67 | $33.35 | $30.20 | $/ha/day |
| Farm MOAF per DAY | $1,932 | $2,268 | $2,005 | $/day |