Sometimes the solution to a challenge is right under your feet.
This is especially the case on farm. Pasture and soil have the potential to radically improve your farm’s production, profitability, and sustainability.
The latest Farm Insights Report, released in October, includes insights, benchmarking and opportunities around homegrown feed and feed converted to milk.
Co-op Programme Manager (Environment) Julie Morris says improving homegrown feed can increase a farm’s productivity from the same imported feed and nitrogen inputs.
“The Farm Insights Report shows where each farm is sitting in terms of homegrown feed and performance compared to neighbouring farm. It highlights the different areas that can drive overall homegrown feed performance and help farmers determine their next step.
“There are a lot of different steps farmers can take to grow and utilise more homegrown feed. This could be optimising fertiliser use, pasture management, effluent management, irrigation, cropping or soil management. All these elements contribute to homegrown feed performance.” Julie says.
The Farm Insights Report provides details on the percentage of feed converted to milk. It also compares farms against regional averages, the top 20% farms in a region, and others with the same farm system. Farmers can use these insights to gauge where their farms are in terms of feed efficiency.
“The feed efficiency insights are about balancing feed supply and demand on-farm. Every cow on the farm has maintenance energy requirements – how much feed they need to simply move and be healthy – and the additional amount is the energy available to produce milk. Optimising feed allocation per cow is key. It’s not just about feeding cows more; it’s about what you’re feeding them and when,” she says.
Julie says there are different pathways to increase feed allowance per cow, including growing more homegrown feed, buying in more feed, or redistributing feed by stocking rate changes.
“Obviously, there are plenty of nuances around feed and stocking rates, but increasing the quantity and quality of homegrown feed is where the opportunities really lie for farmers. When you look at milk production and feed efficiency, homegrown feed is the most profitable and sustainable way to increase productivity,” she says.
Using data supplied from each farm to the Co-op, the Farm Insights Report provide farmers with a projection of their opportunity to increase milk solids per cow, relative to an increase in tonnes of dry matter per hectare from homegrown feed eaten.