Boosting dairy production efficiency through transition management
Reducing carbon emissions is high on the agenda across all industries, but with farming in the spotlight for producing 10% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions1
, there is increasing pressure for the sector to become more efficient and therefore sustainable.
In order for the agricultural industry to reach net zero greenhouse emissions, as set out in the NFU’s 2040 vision, it needs to cut emissions by an estimated 11.5 MtCo2
e/year, as a result there is a critical role for
the dairy sector to boost herd health and feed efficiency to cut methane emissions.
Transition Management System
Andrew Pine, Premier Nutrition’s ruminant director, explains that the transition period provides an opportunity for many units to improve cow health which, in turn, will increase efficiencies across the herd, significantly reducing associated greenhouse gas emissions. He adds that poor management during the period can not only cause long-term herd health implications, it can also cost over 9ppl produced in production losses.
“It’s therefore been identified as a vital area within the production calendar where Premier Nutrition can support producers and this is where our bespoke Transition Management System (TMS) comes into play,” says Andrew.
He adds that the assessment system allows farmers across the UK to not only benchmark their own herd’s monthly improvements, but also to see how they compare to over 290 other herds, which represent over 78,000 cows, all with an aim of making improvements.
True cost of transition
“One of the most valued TMS tools is the financial model that demonstrates the cost of transition, per litre. This is an effective way to showcase just how vital the transition period is to the rest of a cow’s lifecycle,” he says.
“The nationwide average cost is 2.8ppl produced lost through inefficiencies just at the transition stage. While this doesn’t necessarily sound a lot, when scaling up to a million litres, this equates to annual losses of £28,000.
“However, our best performing herd is running at a cost of just 0.4ppl, while the worst has tipped the scales at 9.3ppl produced or approximately £93,000 for the year/million litres.”
This can be broken down into specific areas, to demonstrate the value of good transition management.
For example, Andrew says that the data collated by the team has shown that improved foot trimming protocols on the back of TMS visits has seen dry cow lameness fall from 6.15% to 4.17% over the past seven years. “On average this has saved approximately £4,069 per herd, per year.
Left: Ashley Morris - TMS Assessor
“The unique monitoring system is used to assess how cows pass through the transition period – 30 days pre and post calving.” Andrew explains how each month, a TMS assessor visits participating farms to impartially assess the herd and gather
information, before providing a score out of 100, to help track performance. The data collected is broken down into four categories: - Physical observations: Body Condition Score (BCS), rumen fill, lameness and hock hygiene
- Farm data: Incidences of milk fever and retained cleansings, calving information, cows leaving the herd under 100 days - Cow comfort levels: Temperature, humidity, lying space, light quality
- Milk data: Yields, quality, somatic cell counts, fat and protein percentages
PAGE 26 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 FEED COMPOUNDER
“Another major area we’ve seen improvements across the board is the number of cows leaving the herd in the first 100 days. These figures have dropped from 3.94% to 2.68%, making an impressive average annual herd saving of £8,974,” he says.
Reducing losses at Burgate Farm
To reduce the transition-based losses, Andrew explains that a TMS adviser will work closely with the unit to pinpoint the key areas for improvement and help put management practices in place to boost performance efficiency.
For example, Premier Nutrition has worked closely with Roger Cook of Burgate Farm, near Scarborough, together with his feed advisors. In under a year, using the TMS model to turn the herd’s performance around, ketosis incidences have decreased dramatically, and pregnancy rates have improved.
“When we first set foot on the farm, over 50% of cows were at risk of clinical or subclinical ketosis, with subsequent pregnancy rates of just 12%. So, improving fresh cow performance was high on the agenda to boost production efficiency,” says Andrew.
The farm tried everything they could to get back on track but decided to call in the help of their feed advisers, Paul Robinson Agri and RBC
https://www.nfuonline.com/nfu-online/business/regulation/achieving-net-zero- farmings-2040-goal/
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