Dairy farmers encouraged to push butterfat levels this winter
Given the increased demand for butter on the wholesale market, pushing butterfat levels through alterations in winter rations could earn producers a further £2,400/month, which can help producers push to achieve the premium prices on offer by processors.
"Recent consumer trends of switching back to butter from margarine, coupled with the influence of more baking programmes on TV, has surged the demand for butter globally," said Matthew Stearn, wholesale performance products product manager for Trident Feeds.
"Processors have responded by increasing the prices that farmers receive on some contracts, should they both meet and exceed the target levels of four per cent butter fat," he adds.
To make the most of the bonus payments on offer, Bethany May, ruminant nutritionist at Trident Feeds, suggests including a C16:0 protected fat, to further increase butterfat levels.
"Housing is the perfect opportunity to push milk constituent levels, as butterfat levels tend to rise due to the lack of reliance on grazing and the use of a fully controlled winter ration," she said.
"Products such as Butterfat Extra can be incorporated easily into well balanced rations, and immediate improvements to milk fat percentages can be seen, with production responses of up to 0.3 per cent increase in butterfat percentage."
Due to the current favourable prices, the inclusion of the product can be financially rewarding.
"For example, most milk contracts now incorporate a reward structure for higher butterfat and protein percentages, with some rewarding greatly for hitting the higher percentage bands and producers achieving premium prices," she explained.
"Assuming a 0.3 per cent lift in butterfat and 1litre increase in milk yield is achieved from feeding 300g/head of Butterfat Extra, for a herd of 200 cows on a current average liquid contract, that could be worth up to £2,400/month net return, showing a substantial return on investment.
"With milk yields also increasing by one litre per day, its inclusion is improving both constituent quality alongside extra litres," she added.
