Grazing Gazette pennSwe College of Agricultural Sciences ta coopanlion with USDA/ARS GRAIN/ENERGY SUPPLEMENTATION FOR DAIRY GRAZING SYSTEMS Lawrence D. Muller and Lisa A. Holden Penn State University The use of and interest in pas ture as a major source of fonge for dairy cows continues to in crease. primarily because of eco nomic constraints. Feed costs are the largest expense on die dairy farm and are typically decreased about $l.OO to SI.SO/cwt. of milk during the grazing season. Supple mental feeding with pasture based systems is mote difficult than with confinement systems. Some of the most common nutritionally relat ed questions from producers and consultants with pastures systems include: • How much supplemental grain or energy should be fed? • What should be the feed in gredients and nutrient composi tion of the grain mixtures? * What is the profitability of each additional unit of grain that is fed? These questions and others like them will be the focus of some of the articles written for this col umn. This article will touch on some of the reasons why supple mental grain feeding for grazing dairy cows is a profitable decision for many graziers. A recent article in a widely read grazing magazine questioned the economics of supplemental feed ing in the United States when pas ture is well managed and of high Ag-Chem Covers All Your Spraying Needs From P S lent quality and quantity. The essence of this article is that it is not eco nomical to feed grain, bypass pro tein, supplemental! forages (un less pasture quantity is inade quate). or total mixed ration (TMR). However, science, pro ducer experiences, and economics do not support the “no supple mentation” approach with high producing cows in the U.S. Cer tainly, improved grazing manage ment to increase the quantity and quality of pasture can reduce the supplemental feed needs and im prove profitability. Your own farm information about feed costs, herd health, milk production, body condition, and reproductive performance can be very useful in making feeding management decisions. Many graziers have looked to thcNew Zealand dairy system for help in making grazing decisions.- While this information can be very use ful. keep in mind the differences between the New Zealand situa tion and your own farm situation. Cows in New Zealand graze low cost pasture year round as the sole source of nutrients with no supple mental grain and produce about 7,000 pounds of milk per cow. hi New Zealand, grain costs are often double and milk prices one-half compared to Pennsylvania. Despite the fact that current eco nomic conditions in New Zealand do favor supplemental grain feed ing, current research for dairy pro ducers in New Zealand is focusing on nutritional strategies to in Plant Food Co. Cranbury, NJ 609-448-0935 Webb’s Super-Gro Mill Hall, PA 717-726-4525 Delmar Grain Delmar, DE 302-846-9567 Triple H Equip. Peach Bottom, PA 717-548-3775 Hines Equipment Bellwood, PA 814-742-8171 Cresson, PA 814-886-4183 El Serving The Farming Industry For Over 31 Years. 1188 Enterprise Rd. East Petersburg, PA 17520 aa*ehim* CALL FOR MORE 'nformation (717)569-2610 crease production and optimize profit Forage alone. What can we ex pect from Pennsylvania cows if pasture is the only source of feed? Research studies in the U.S. with high producing cows fed only pas ture are limited. A study in Wis consin in which high quality alfal fa hay crop silage was the only forage had a total lactation milk yield of 12,700 pounds of milk or 41.6 pounds per day. The DMI for the total lactation averaged 41 pounds per day, or 3.1 percent of body weight These cows had l£w er body condition than cows fed varying the amounts of supple mental grain. Based on this and other studies, and on estimates of energy needs for maintenance and activity vs. energy intake from pastures, herb age from well managed pastures should be sufficient to maintain 35 to 45 pounds of milk per day with little or no supplemental energy. This production may be higher with legume and grass/legume pastures than with mostly grass pasture because of higher DMI from pasture containing legumes. Cows in early lactation may be expected to produce 50 to 60 pounds of milk per day with pas ture as the only forage. However, these cows would lose extensive Grain (DM) feeding guidelines for a grass based pasture system during the grazing season* 4% FCM Spring Summer Fall Production (lb) lb G:M* lb G:M‘ lb G:M* >BO 20 1:4 to 1:5 25-27 1:3 20 1:4 to 1:5 70 16-18 1:4 to 1:5 21-23 1:3 to 1:4 16-18 1:4 to 1:5 60 12-14 1:4 to 1:5 15-18 1:5 12-14 1:5 50 8-10 1:5 to 1:6 10-12 1:4 to 1:5 8-10 1:4 to 1:5 <4O 6-8 1:6 to 1:7 8-10 1:5 to 1:6 6-8 1:6 to 1:7 ‘Assume 1300 lb. bodyweight These guidelines arc based on high quality grass pasture availbale in adequate quantities assum ing the approximate DMI. Lower quality forage will require more grain. Maximum grain DM fed should be equivalent to about 2% of bodyweight. Some adjustment of grain should be made based on body condition scores and stage of lactation. Lower amounts are likely needed when the pasture contains legumes. ‘Grain: milk ratio (DM basis). Leinbach Farm Supply Shippensburg, PA 717-532-5511 1-800-346-2334 Stoltzfus Morgantown, PA 3.15-286-5146 Erb & Henry Equip. New Bertinville, PA 215-367-2169 Measick Farm Equip. Elizabethtown, PA* 717-653-8867 Tri-County Farm & Home Bloomsburg, PA body weight and condition be cause of inadequate dry matter and energy intake from only pas ture. Cows often have a lower body condition when grazed com pared to cows under confinement Reproductive efficiency may de cline if cows lose too much condi tion. Supplemental energy/grain. Energy is thought to be the most limiting nutrient for profitable milk production and normal repro ductive performance when pasture is the major source of forage. The amount of grain fed to increase the total energy intake on a pasture based system can have long-term effects on energy balance, milk production, body weight and con dition changes, reproductive per formance, and profitability. Re search and producer experiences indicate that supplemental energy from main is beneficial and profit able With high producing cows un der a grazing system. Grain benefits the cow in two ways: (1) providing needed ener gy for activity (walking, grazing) and (2) providing a source of ru men available non-structural car bohydrate (NSC). While pasture can be quite high in protein, it lacks NSC. Without additional NSC in the diet, protein is used for energy, and excess nitrogen is ex creted in urine. Thus, valuable protein is lost to the animal and excreted into the environment. The result is lower animal produc tion and a higher nutrient loading into soil and water. Providing grain supplements rich in NSC and lower in protein (nitrogen) can help to “capture” mote of die protein in pasture and “convert” it to milk protein. This efficient use of resources helps to balance out the total use/reuse of nutrients in the whole farm sys tem. Research shows milk ptoduc- ADC Is the Place To Be Member education and youth programs - the outstanding benefits that George and Theresa Inhof refer to - are among the strengths of the premier dairy cooperative in the region. Atlantic Dairy Cooperative has a 78-year history of excellent service to its members. Financially strong, ADC guarantees a market for all member milk and excels in maximizing returns. ADC is a leader in providing equity payments, quality bonuses and over-order premiums to members. Nearly 4,000 dairy farmers agree that "ADC is the Place to Be." For free information on how you can secure the future of your dairy farm operation, write or call- Atlantic Dairy Cooperative 1225 Industrial Highway Southampton, PA 18966 LLfflUßStl 1-800-645-MILK Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 27,1995-A25 lion responses of 'A to 1/4 pounds for each pound of grain fed. The milk response to grain is usually highest with the first amounts of grain fed and diminishes as addi tional grain is fed. In the previous ly mentioned Wisconsin research with alfalfa haylage crop silage, the milk response to the first 2,000 pounds of grain fed was about 2,000 pounds of milk, or 1 pound of milk per I pound grain. Re search at Ohio State reported about a 1 pound milk response to 1 pound of grain fed with both or chardgrass and alfalfa based pas ture systems. With milk priced at 12 cents per pound and grain at 6 cents per pound, grain feeding on pasture makes economic sense. In addition, each pound of grain fed displaces or substitutes for about Vi pound of pasture DM. Thus, to tal DMI will increase with each pound of grain fed. Bottom line. The bottom line is that grain feeding for high produc ing cows on pasture results in higher DMI, which translates into higher, profitable milk production and improved body condition. Based on this information and our research at Penn State, we have developoed the grain feeding guidelines in the following table. The amount of grain or supple ment to feed depends on the “man ager’s eye” when monitoring milk production and body condition. The make-up of the concentrate mixture can range from either simple to complex formulation, but should complement the for age. Future articles will discuss the makeup of the concentrate mix ture in more detail. The values in the table are merely guidelines. Higher rates of grain feeding may be needed when cows are thin, walking long distances to pasture, (Turn to Pago A 34) “Atlantic Dairy Cooperative's youth programs provided us with a beneficial learning experience. We learned more about co-ops , developed our leadership skills and made newfriends. ” WhitenjfcrtMMfc ■ —George Inhof and sister, Theresa Spring City, PA
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