New Zealand’s dairy point of difference stems from the quality of our pastures. It’s from our nation’s green pastures that we’re able to produce and export ‘white gold’ around the world.
Spring is a great time for farmers to take a closer look at their pastures and make sure they’re getting the best quality ahead of summer. Taking a bit of time now to assess your paddocks and pasture could have a major impact on profits.
Farm Source Technical Sales Specialist Russell Hamilton says farmers can bring in an additional income by simply lifting the utilisation of their pastures.
“It’s all about getting good grasses into our system. New generation grasses are ideal in that they have a better aftermath heading – after they’re grazed, they don’t throw up a lot of seed heads, leaving more energy on the leaves. This means that the cow eating the grass can use more of that energy and convert it into milk. If a farmer can lift their utilisation by as much as 5%, which is not out of the realms of reality to achieve, then they can increase the quality of the dry matter eaten,” Russell Hamilton says.
“This doesn’t cost the farmer additional funds. Take a 200 hectare farm that is growing 16 tonnes of dry matter per year for example. By lifting utilisation by 5%, all of a sudden the cows are going to eat an additional 160 tonnes of grass.
If you work on the equation that 10kg of dry matter produces 1kg of milk solid, then you’re looking at around 16,000kg additional milk solids or $120,000-plus in additional income, depending on milk solids price.”
Post-grazing residuals
To achieve these profits, Russell advises monitor pasture cover and grazing residuals. Each farm will have different residual measurements based on their climate and system in place, but the general rule of thumb is that the residual level should be consistent.
Communication among the team
Maximising profits on-farm requires a team approach. Farm owners, managers, and workers all need to be aware of the goal and how it can be achieved.
“Work out what suits your farm the best and make sure that the team on-farm understands what that looks like. Your second-in-charge needs to be right up on what it takes to get better utilisation of pastures, because ultimately, they will be making a lot of decisions on farm,” Russell says.
This includes deciding on the pre-graze herbage mass, which can have a big impact on dairy cow performance, dry matter production and grass output.
“Discuss where you want to get to, where you want to be grazing these paddocks out; and if they get above that number, let’s say it’s 3,000kg or so of dry matter, take it out of the system and mow it so it’s ready for the next round. Discuss when you would take it out and when you would graze it, and be able to react quickly.”
Tetraploids vs Diploids
At a scientific level, tetraploids are grasses that have twice the number of chromosomes in each plant cell compared to a standard cultivar (diploid). A diploid ryegrass has two sets of chromosomes while a tetraploid ryegrass has four sets.
Tetraploids grasses have larger seeds (which means they must be sown at higher rates than diploids) and produce larger plants and a higher ratio of soluble carbohydrates to fibre, providing more energy than diploid cultivars and easier digestibility.
Most farms tend to sow a blend of tetraploid and diploid grass cultivars.
“Products and practices will differ from farm to farm. Some farms will be able to handle tetraploids. Other soils will probably want to have a diploid in there, but there is a benefit in adding tetraploids to the mix. It has a higher metabolisable energy (ME) per kilogram of dry matter. Again, if we can get more ME into the cow, we get more milk,” Russell says.
“Improving the utilisation of your pasture and increasing production doesn’t have to cost additional money. You don’t have to introduce collars or new technology. It’s about doing what you’re already doing more efficiently. Upskill your team – if everyone can buy into the goal, then you can make some really good gains on farm.”
Talk to your local TSR or visit a Farm Source store to find out more about ways to improve your pasture management and increase profits on farm.