NUTRITION ▶▶▶
Surviving high North American feed prices
BY JACLYN KRYMOWSKI S
uccessful herdspersons and managers must be aware of these considerations as they work with their nutritionists to craft total mixed rations (TMRs) and diets that reflect the situation without sacrific-
ing nutritional quality. A big part of this comes down to making wise choices in feed ingredients and making sure these ingredients are fed to cows properly.
The state of feed prices in North America So far, commodity prices seem to be on a sharp incline in North America this year. According to a Penn State Extension dairy update, feed prices appear to be showing a similar trend to 2012, when corn and soybean prices were exception- ally high. In her article, Virginia Ishler, an extension dairy spe- cialist, noted that the outlook for 2021 feed prices – depend- ing on factors such as milk production and herd size – would be $ 7.09, $ 5.36 and $ 5.18 (according to average gross milk price breakeven/cwt in 2020) as the maximum feed cost per milk cow per day with $ 18/cwt milk. As herds throughout the US and North America continue to consolidate and grow bigger, the economic impact of feed and its significance on the bottom line becomes all the more important when considering – the University of Minnesota Extension reports – that for the modern dairy, feed costs can be 40–60% of the entire cost of production.
Maximise ingredients Part of persevering through expensive periods in the feed in- dustry is maximising ingredients that are affordable without sacrificing adequate nutritional value. “Our main goal is to make sure animals are offered adequate amounts of nutrients,” says Luiz Ferraretto, a ruminant nutri- tionist and assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin– Madison. “The first thing that’s happening is that those cows will be consuming a diet that does not provide adequate amounts under those conditions.” He adds that poor manage- ment can increase other issues associated with feed. “I think one of the most important things farmers have to consider is that homegrown forages are the best available feed,” he says. This begins by focusing on things like corn silage and haylage
It’s a financially challenging time for dairy farmers across North America as many states face a difficult growing season plagued by severe drought conditions. While milk prices have improved to an extent, the rising costs of staple ingredients – especially corn and soybean – are making it difficult for income to keep up, resulting in a persistently slim profit margin.
grown on-farm and making them the highest quality they can be. Diets that have higher quality forages as a basis can cut down on expensive commodities and grains needed in the mix. Another tool that can help cut costs on the overall TMR is cap- italising on by-product feed ingredients. While by-products are usually significantly less expensive than traditional com- modities, they can come with other costs managers should consider before capitalising on them. For example, the cost of labour, storage and delivery for by-product ingredients can all increase the cost of each tonne. To help calculate this true cost, the University of Wisconsin–Madison developed the FeedVal program, which can calculate the actual cost and value of such ingredients when all things are considered. Feed ingredients also need to be managed and prepared well, so that when each fresh batch of TMR is mixed, cattle will be apt to eat it entirely with minimal refusal and sorting behaviours.
Feed cows at the same time each day to keep them eating on their regular schedules.
▶ DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 8, No. 3, 2021
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PHOTO: JAN WILLEM SCHOUTEN
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