forage with 35% DM and 15% CP from the clamp, but TMS data still indicated gaps in the cow’s nutritional needs.
Feed adviser, Paul Robinson, explains that focus turned to improving pre-calving nutrient supply and ensuring cows were in top condition to cope with calving.
Nutrition, as well as Premier Nutrition, to give a fresh perspective. “We used the TMS data collected to pinpoint that a key part of the issue was linked to loosing rumen fill between the dry and fresh stages, which can greatly increase the chance of ketosis,” says Andrew. This prompted Roger to revisit his entire transition regime, with one of the most significant changes being feeding every cow, regardless of stage, in the parlour, ensuring each individual cow gets accurate nutrition tailored to their requirements.
The management changes made clear performance improvements, with ketosis levels slowly reducing, but not to a level Roger was prepared to accept. So, a nutritional overhaul was needed to further improve efficiency.
Much of Burgate Farm’s feed is provided by quality homegrown
“We increased metabolisable protein and starch levels, before introducing Premier Nutrition’s Total Vitality complete dry cow feed, which assists liver function post-calving. We then worked on balancing amino acids to minimise condition loss,” says Paul. The impact of the nutritional changes combined with the updated management plans completely turned farm efficiency around. Roger explains that in just four months, he calved 150 cows with no retained cleansings including multiple twin births. “Supplying the right amount of key nutrients helped us the most. I’m getting less body condition losses, my cows are peaking higher and I used 210 less straws compared to the previous year.”
Final remarks
Andrew states that adopting a proactive management stance, as showcased by Burgate Farm, will be vital for the industry to meet the UK greenhouse gas emission targets.
“Our extensive experience across all industries serviced by Premier Nutrition has highlighted how very often it’s small management changes that have a huge influence on efficiency gains.
“It’s crucial the entire industry pulls together to find where these gains can be made in order to meet emission targets to ensure UK agricultural retains its world class position,” says Andrew.
Tailored nutrition, engineered to make a difference to your business.
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