AT THE AHDB CONFERENCE 2 DAYS AGO THE PROFITABILITY OF GRASS CUT AND CARRY, TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF GRASS IN THE COW’S DIET, WAS REALLY DISCUSSED.
David Keiley from the SRUC gave a very very interesting speach on the results of the trial the did last year using one of our Bonino Zero Grazing Forage wagons to increase the grass intake of the cows.
48 cows in mid-lactation located at the SRUC were offered of of three treatments:
- 100% TMR formulated to 40kg production
- 75 % TMR – 25% Grass
- 50 % TMR – 50% Grass
Fresh cut grass was mixed with TMR on a kg by kg DM basis production.
Animal production and economic return was assesed for a 16 week feeding period
CONCLUSION
- Incorporating fresh grass into the diet of cows should reduce costs of production and exposure to fluctuations in purchased feed prices
- In this experiment, replacing 50% of the TMR with grass was the most economically viable system under a range of feed cost /and milk prices scenarios
However:
- Careful assessment of grass quality and the costs of getting this grass to the housed cow are required on a farm by farm basis to ensure that the most economically viable diets are being offered to the lactating dairy cow
