What can we pull out of the diet to save costs?

It’s the question Alastair Nelson and his Ruminate team face the most at this time of year.

“Farmers see cows that look good, as summer grass creates that high-fibre f ill, so they assume everything’s fine internally,” Alastair explains. “But even blood tests showing adequate mineral levels don’t tell the full story. There’s so much more going on beneath the surface that can have long-term effects.”

It creates a dangerous blind spot. A cow that looks fine externally may be fighting mycotoxins, dealing with heat stress, struggling with compromised rumen function, or slipping in body condition despite seemingly adequate feed, he says.

This disconnect between appearance and reality can lead to significant costs through reduced reproduction, delayed cycling, and metabolic disorders.

Prevention, however, may be as simple as a dietary change that costs just 50 cents. When Ruminate’s specialists assess farms during late lactation they focus on three key areas.

Body Condition Score (BCS)

With the aim to dry off a cow in a timeframe that aligns with the end goal of a BC5 by calving, it is energetically more efficient (and more cost-effective) to put condition on a lactating cow than on a dry cow. It’s not the time to milk off their backs, it’s the time to build reserves for next season.

As pastures mature, energy density plummets. Cows appear full because they are full of fibre – creating the illusion of adequate nutrition.

“A full rumen doesn’t mean a fed cow,” Alastair warns. Late-lactation cows need concentrated nutrition, not just bulk, yet this is often when supplementation gets pulled.

With a third of lactation still remaining, many cows are producing 1.6+ kg MS daily while five to six months pregnant. “These are high-performance athletes in their second trimester – they need support, not restrictions,” he says.

“That second-trimester calf demands nutrients for around 150g of daily growth,” Alastair explains. “We’re feeding two animals through one digestive system, and today’s nutrition directly influences that calf’s lifetime performance.”

Stress

Sunʼs out, cows look good, no stress here. Wrong. Late lactation offers up a perfect storm. Heat stress, declining pasture quality, silage heating producing toxins, mycotoxins from summer moulds and facial eczema pressure.

These factors don’t add – they multiply. Research shows that inflammatory stress responses can persist throughout entire lactations, creating “metabolic memory” that surfaces months later. As Nelson puts it, “It’s compound interest, except the cow’s paying, not earning.”¹

There are practical tools to reduce heat stress like shade, sprinklers in the shed, and quality water supplies. There are also nutritional levers to minimise stress.  

Nutrition

The Ruminate team can help you build late-lactation diets that support performance, condition, resilience and minimise stress.

They focus on the nutrients that matter most. Vitamin E and selenium strengthen antioxidant defences; zinc and copper support immunity and skin integrity; magnesium and calcium steady nerves and muscles during heat; cobalt, iodine, and B-vitamins keep energy and appetite on track. Mycotoxin binders and heat-stress additives further reduce pressure.

It can look like a long expensive list, but farmers don’t need to wrestle with the details or a big bill. Ruminate handles the complexity, balancing nutrients, simplifying decisions, and showing how small, well-targeted investments can have big paybacks.

“Every late-lactation decision can compound,” Alastair says. “You’re either building resilience or accumulating debt that comes due at calving. Our job is to help farmers see beneath the surface so they can make informed decisions that pay long-term dividends.”

Shop Forage Balancer at your local Farm Source and for further information talk to your Farm Source TSR.