Be realistic about grazing
Following the late turnout and facing challenges maintaining a grazing wedge, dairy farmers are being urged not to push too hard at grazing and to use carefully balanced buffer feeds to optimise contribution from grazed grass.
Mel Broughton, Regional Manager with ED&F Man Liquid Products says the late turnout and potentially delayed first cut mean many producers will be faced with more variable grass production, which will have an impact on productivity.
“Having faced increased feed costs in the spring the temptation will be to look for grazing to deliver more, but if the grass is not up to it the cows will suffer. Fresh calvers will struggle to get to peak. Milk quality, which is vital to offset milk price cuts this summer, will suffer if mid and late lactation cows are expected to do too much off grass.”
He says the keys are to be realistic about what grass can supply and to maintain rumen efficiency and total dry matter intakes to increase the effective use of grazing. These can both be improved by ensuring sufficient sugars in the diet.
Sugar plays a vital and irreplaceable role in ensuring an effective rumen fermentation. Dairy cows need fiive to seven per cent sugars in the diet. Although grazed grass can be high in sugar, a typical grazing diet will only be providing around four per cent sugars, especially with the cold wet weather seen over the last few weeks, leaving a sugar gap that needs to be filled.
“It is important to fill the sugar gap and that the correct form of sugar is provided. Six carbon sugars such as sucrose and glucose, found in feeds such as sugar beet pulp, molasses and, coincidentally, grazed grass, are proven to be more beneficial to dairy cows than the five carbon sugars found in fermentation co-products, wheat syrup, processed feeds and silages.
“They are more highly rumen fermentable and more effective at improving fibre digestion, increasing microbial protein production and stimulating rumen fungi. Better fibre digestion means more use can be made of the available forage.”
While it may be tempting to reduce costs and expect cows to work hard off grazing with minimal supplementation, Mr Stanford says buffer feeding with a ration designed to meet the cows’ various energy demands will increase the total contribution from grazing.
“By definition, a buffer feed should fill the gap between the cow’s requirements and the variable supply of nutrients from grazing. It must be palatable and include starch, sugar, fibre and balanced protein supply. Simply making silage available, particularly grass silage which can reduce grazing intakes, will not deliver what the cow requires. Including a source of six carbon sugar will ensure the sugar gap is satisfied, improving the rumen effectiveness of the whole buffer feed.
“For example, adding 1kg/day of Buffermol+ to the buffer feed will supply sufficient sugar to fill the typical grazing diet sugar gap. Buffermol+ has been specifically formulated to help improve effective utilisation of grazing diets, combining 37 per cent sugars to stimulate fermentation and for rumen health with added glycerine to increase glucose supply and support efficient milk production. The fermentable energy helps balance the high ERDP levels found in grazing.”
