By frequently taking a fresh grass sample, Wout Huijzer can ensure that the protein level in the pellet is adjusted based on this analysis.
maintain a low urea content, the grass should not contain too much protein. The only way to ensure this is through fertilisa- tion. “That means we are continuously seeking a balance. On the one hand, you don’t want too much protein, but you also don’t want to give the cows so little that growth and yield are put under pressure.” The average grass yield in recent years has been around 11 tonnes of dry matter per hectare. In the more fertile years prior to that, the average was around 14 tonnes.
Only one silo bunker The grass that is not pastured is used for silage. Huijzer and Schutte have a 40-metre-long and 10-metre-wide silo bunker.
They use its contents for feeding between the beginning of October and the beginning of April. The rest of the grass is baled. “We use the bales in winter for the dry cows and the young stock. It costs a little bit more, but we also feed the bales to the dairy cows in summer, in addition to pasturing.” Wout feeds about three kilograms of dry matter per cow per day. “That’s too little to get from silage, because it will lead to too much heat generation in the silage, causing mould. With the baled grass we can manage the feed requirements of the dairy cows. One moment you might choose a bale with a lit- tle more dry matter or structure, while you may need more protein-rich autumn grass at another moment. It’s a question of dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.”
In addition to fresh grass, the cows receive three kilos of dry matter from the bale.
20 ▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 28, No. 7, 2020
All the data goes into the computer that keeps track of grass growth and makes a prediction of future grass growth.
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