Dairy News august 13, 2013
44 // management
Dairy breaks enough on kale SHIFTING COWS on kale twice a day makes no difference to utilisation or weight gain, research by a Lincoln University PhD student shows. But the quantity of allotted feed does. “Until now there has been little experimental data on the utilisation and forage behaviour of cows grazing kale in response to changing levels of allowances,” says Innocent Rugoho, a PhD candidate in the department of agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture and
– 8.9kgDM/cow, but on Life Sciences, Lincoln the higher allowance University . that intake included less Rugoho compared stem, hence the energy three equally matched value of the intake was groups of cows fed two higher. different allowances of The result was the kale: high (14kgDM/cow/ quantity and nutritional day) and low (11kgDM/ Innocent Rugoho status of the feed offered cow/day). A control in the high kale allowance ensured the group was fed on grass. He found that on both allowances largest increase in the body condition cows ate quickly for the first three hours score (BCS) of the cows.
He says the reason why the usual feed calculations put cows at risk of being underfed is because the low nutrient status of the kale stems is not compensated for. As part of this research, Rugoho also compared the intake and BCS of cows offered kale one or twice a day and found no improvement in utilisation or gain in BCS when feeding cows more frequently. Rugoho came to New Zealand from
Zimbabwe after completing an undergraduate science degree. His interest in dairying developed while working at Ngamarua Dairies (a Synlait farm) at Rakaia. “Cows need to be fed well throughout the whole year,” he says, “and providing adequate feed in winter is important to farmers who want to ensure their cows regain their condition and are prepared well for the next calving and lactation.”
Hauraki farm sought for demonstration
XLTRAILER
THE HUNT is on for a farm to become the new
MULTI-FEED
• RIGID GALVANISED FRAME AND BIN
$5900+GST
• SCALLOPED BIN ALLOWS COW EASY ACCESS • FEED EFFICIENT - REDUCES SPILLAGE/WASTAGE • HOLDS UP TO 2 TONNE OF PKE OR UP TO THREE BALES • WIDE BIN MAKES LOADING EASY • TRACTOR QUICK HITCH, EASY ON AND OFF • AVAILABLE EX TAURANGA, LYTTELTON, TIMARU AND WINTON
• INCORPORATE MINERALS AND SUPPLEMENTS INTO LIQUID FEEDS • WORKS IN LINE WITH THE DAIRY SHEDS’ EXISTING SYSTEM
Supreme Winner 2013
Lincoln Field Days Agriculture Innovation Award
“At Kintore Farm we have been using the Conedose system to get both micro and macro minerals into the cows on our two dairy units, we have found it to be more reliable and accurate than dusting and water dosing proven through blood test results. It is also labour efficient and more cost effective than mineral feed pellets. I would recommend Conedose to anyone who is looking at reliably getting minerals to their high producing cows in a cost effective way.” Nick Hoogeveen - General Manager Kintore Farm Ltd.
www.wintonstockfeed.co.nz
Waikato - Nelson
Jamie Stephens 021 838 261
Taranaki - Manawatu
Jamie Stephens 021 838 261
North Otago - Canterbury Staz Roberts
021 863 345
Southland - South Otago
029 201 7361
Jo Scharvi
TO ORDER: phone 0800 MOLASSES (800 6652 7737) or phone our Winton Office 03 236 6089
Hauraki Focus Farm. Information about the focus farm’s progress will be fed back to the region’s farmers through field days and regular emails. The initiative is led by the P3 Dairy Trust formed in 2010 by dairy farmers aiming to increase the profitability of Hauraki Plains farms, with a flow-on effect to the whole community. The trust is doing this through a number of initiatives, one being a focus farm. The P3 Dairy Trust, which stands for profitable, progressive plains, is supported by DairyNZ and the ANZ Bank. P3 Dairy Trust’s newly appointed chairman Will Tye says the first three years have proved successful. “Generally, we have a lot of support from local farmers to keep a focus farm initiative going. We’ve been fortunate to have the current farm because it’s been of great value to fellow farmers who are going through a lot of the same sorts of issues,” says Will. “We are looking for a self-motivated farmer who has a strong desire to increase the profitability and sustainability of their dairy business, with the P3 Trust’s assistance. Whether you want to take your farm business from average to good or from the top 20% to the top 5%, we want to hear from you. “Work done in another P3 initiative called ‘scorecard’ showed the Hauraki Plains has some high-performing farms, particularly in return on asset (ROA). It has shown us that whether you’re farming heavy marine clay or peat, there is the potential to achieve results comparable to the best in New Zealand,” says Will. Angus and Karen MacInnes, who own a 176ha (effective) property near Waitakaruru, allowed their farm to be monitored for the project’s first three years. The farm, a typical Hauraki Plains dairy property, was selected as the focus farm because of the MacInnes’ willingness to have their business regularly measured and monitored, and their readiness to adopt well-reasoned management practises. A weekly email update goes directly to 350 farmers and rural professionals, which includes information on growth rates, soil, temperature, rainfall and cow condition and the management plan for the next week. The focus farm hosts four field days a year where guest speakers discuss relevant topics and farmers get an update on the farm’s progress and discuss management issues. DairyNZ consulting officer for the Hauraki Plains, Fiona Wade, says the feedback has been encouraging from farmers and challenged the management team’s thinking, keeping all involved focused. Those interested in becoming the new focus farm or wanting to be added to the weekly email updates can contact Fiona Wade on 021 242 2127 or Craig Strawbridge on 027 448 6650.