Milk Matters


By Christine Pedersen Senior Dairy Business Consultant The Dairy Group


christine.pedersen@thedairygroup.co.uk www.thedairygroup.co.uk


high levels of C16 fatty acids to help boost butterfat levels, but if other aspects of the ration are imbalanced, the addition of C16 alone may not elicit the desired response.


MILK CONSTITUENTS


Anecdotally, many farms are delivering milk with higher fat and protein levels than they ever have before whilst a few are struggling with low milk quality. From our own MCi data for October, on average milk yield was slightly reduced but offset by higher butterfat and protein percentages compared with the previous year:


October 2017


Daily milk yield per cow Butterfat Protein


Daily combined fat and protein per cow


24.4 l


4.20 % 3.35 % 1.84 kg


October 2018


26.0 l


October 2019


25.6 l


4.20 % 4.32 % 3.41 % 3.48 % 1.98 kg


Source: The Dairy Group MCi Results for October


Most milk payment schedules now ‘reward’ for milk constituents and are weighted towards fat and protein payments. Based on current milk price schedules, the increased milk quality for 2019 - 20 could represent a milk price anywhere between 0.1 and 0.7 ppl higher compared to 2018 depending on the individual milk contract. Some producers may find that the higher milk quality and resulting higher milk price more than make up for the reduced yield whilst others, on lower constituent payments, would rather have more litres at lower quality. Producers can look at their own milk contracts and tailor their feeding (the main factor influencing milk composition) and in the longer term, breeding accordingly.


Butterfat, protein and milk urea levels are a useful guide as to the herd nutritional status; there is a definite relationship between diet composition, rumen function and milk composition. Levels of fibre in the diet are critical to butterfat as they influence saliva production and rumen pH, which in turn influences fibre digestion, short chain fatty acid synthesis and subsequent butterfat levels. Low butterfat levels can be a symptom of sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) caused by inadequate long fibre and high soluble sugar levels. Levels of fibre may be influenced by the type of forages available including silage, hay and straw, the forage: concentrate ratio and the processing / presentation of the feed. Positive management changes can significantly alter milk composition and changes to the way that feed is delivered, e.g. compact feeding to reduce sorting, may merit consideration. In some cases, there may be a financial case for feeding fat supplements with


PAGE 14 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 FEED COMPOUNDER


Milk proteins tend to be less variable than butterfat but crudely are an indicator of both protein and energy supply if used in conjunction with milk urea results (target levels 200 – 250 mg/litre). If it is established that protein supply is adequate for the required yield level (from milk urea data, ration formulation and dung consistency), low milk proteins may be a result of break-down of dietary protein to supply energy if energy supply is limiting. In this case, rations need to be re-formulated to increase energy supply and mitigate the obvious effects on body condition, fertility and performance.


CROPPING DECISIONS 2.00 kg


The wet autumn weather affected many UK farmers and cropping plans may need to be reconsidered. Much of the planned winter cereal acreage has yet to be drilled or is looking poor due to waterlogging. For many farms, switching to spring cropping on land previously planned for winter cereals may be the only realistic option. When revising cropping plans, farmers claiming BPS need to remember the 3-crop rule (greening – crop diversification on arable land) which applies to most farmers with 10ha or more of arable land.


Harvesting maize was an issue for many in autumn 2019. Needless to say, harvesting crops when conditions are far from ideal can lead to ruts and compaction and subsequent soil erosion and soil wash issues. If crops can be harvested in September, conditions should be better and there should be an opportunity to cultivate the land and drill a cover crop, therefore significantly reducing the erosion risk. Variety choice has a significant effect on the harvest date of the crop. Earlier maturing varieties have historically meant a yield compromise, however with newer varieties it is now possible to harvest maize earlier without a dramatic loss in yield or quality. Growers should be encouraged to consider earlier maturing varieties when purchasing maize seed.


There has been much waterlogging on areas of productive grassland which is likely to have worsened soil structure problems and also left soils depleted of nitrogen due to increased leaching of nitrate. Assessing the extent of damage to grass swards will allow grass yield and quality to be maximised next season - reseeding may be necessary. Compacted layers from grazing pressure or field traffic is likely to have been made worse by flooding but can be corrected mechanically when soil conditions are suitable.


MASTITIS AND FERTILITY


Understanding the factors that contribute to a cow’s ability to conceive and maintain a pregnancy is crucial for improving reproductive performance and profitability. A possible relationship between mastitis incidence and decreased reproductive performance was first reported in 1990 and since then, numerous studies have investigated the relationship between either clinical or sub-clinical mastitis and


Comment section is sponsored by Compound Feed Engineering Ltd www.cfegroup.com


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