Milking the benefits of the right diet for dairy cows
Around 75 to 80 per cent of what an average dairy cow eats is forage – this can be grazed grass, silage, hay, maize, wholecrop or straw.
A cow is built to ferment forage; her rumen is one massive fermentation vat, which breaks down the forage fibre, and means the cow can then use the nutrients to produce milk.
With huge variation in forage variety, with grass species, growing conditions, fertiliser use all having an impact on quality, it is hugely important to have the silage you have grown or are feeding to your livestock analysed on a regular basis. Just one field of grass filling a silage clamp can contain different species throughout the clamp with varying amounts of clover and ryegrass, for instance.
Regular analysis by a Forage Analysis Association laboratory, who conduct ring tests with other labs in the UK to ensure accuracy – such as NWF Laboratory Services - will allow better accuracy of feeding dairy feeds to support the cow and her milk yield.
A dairy cow is like an Olympic athlete. She needs refined amounts of energy and protein to meet her needs for milk production, and to ensure she doesn’t lose weight or become ill as a result of production. If we are aware of what 75 to 80 per cent of her ration is delivering, we can match her feed to deliver what she requires. If the forage is very high in protein, she will need a high-energy feed to balance the see-saw of nutrients for production. Forage-based diets require mineral supplementation to meet the daily requirements of livestock, with careful attention being required in the presence of antagonists such as iron, molybdenum, sulphur and aluminium.
NWF technical sales specialists are trained to formulate rations which take into consideration forage analysis, and balance the cows' requirements with specifically formulated feed – whether this is dairy compound or blends, NWF can assist in all situations. Blends are a nutritionally sound and consistent way to optimise feed nutrition. NWF blends contain high quality and traceable raw materials. They are produced to the highest quality and are accurately measured to ensure consistent, well-mixed feeds.
The foundation of effective ration planning is an understanding of the feed value of forages. NWF Agriculture offers a full Forage Analysis Service from our laboratory at Wardle which is maintained and quality assured by Trouw Nutrition.
Angus Little, NWF Agriculture
