Alltech is encouraging Irish livestock producers to assess their feed supply and start to plan and prepare for winter now.
According to Cathal Bohane, the Alltech Ireland technical and service development manager, the extended winter of 2023 and the depletion of feed stocks “has not created a sound footing” for winter 2024.
Bohane said: “Mixed weather over the early summer months has exacerbated issues with grass growth, which has been poor due to lack of moisture in some regions and low ground temperature in others.
“Supplementary feeding has gone on longer than anticipated, and farmers are eating into already depleted feed reserves.
“Excess grass has not been available, and so farmers are overly reliant on first- and second-cut silage to add forage to the system,” Bohane added.
The global animal nutrition company referred to a recent Teagasc survey of 500 farms that showed that farms are 10–20% back on feed saved for the winter, and after second cut, only 58% of dairy farms and 68% of beef farms will meet their budgeted requirements.
Alltech Ireland have stated it is “worrying is that 50% of dairy farms and 66% of beef farms have made no provision for extra feed”.
“If there is any good news in all of this, it is that there is still have time, and the time is now to prepare for the winter feeding period,” the company added.
The first step in this process is to measure feed supply and demand in the form of a feed budget.
The table below gives a guide as to the silage requirement of animals per month when they are fully housed:
Dry cows 1.5t Milkers 1.5t Weanlings 0.6t Finishers 0.45t Stores 0.9t
It is important to remember that feed will also be required for supplementation in the spring and autumn, when the animals can’t get their full nutritional requirements from grass.
As it is early in the season, there are a number of practical solutions farmers can look at to avoid a deficit.
Every farm will be different, but the following table shows some solutions that might suit your farm:
Options Details Grass silage: third cut There should be an opportunity to take a third cut of silage, depending on your stocking rate, growth and location. Alternatively, you could look at buying silage either standing or cut already. Straw Straw has become a vital part of an animal’s diet, even with its low feed value. It’s useful as a fibre source to protect rumen health, to add bulk to diets, and to reduce the energy level in dry-cow diets. Every kilo of straw will reduce silage intake by 4–5 kg. Straw may be scarce this winter due to less grain set this year, so it should be sourced sooner rather than later. Dry-cow silage The focus is to control the energy to the dry cow, to avoid over-conditioned cows. Focusing on a lower energy/DMD bulky crop will suffice here. While these crops are low in energy, they must still be good-quality, well-preserved crops. Otherwise, issues with ensiling, including mould and mycotoxins, may occur. Fertiliser Ask your advisor to calculate your fertiliser limits, as some farms have reduced their fertiliser too much for fear of going past their limits. Then, if you have capacity to spread more fertiliser, do so. Alternative forage Following poor ground condition and inability to plant grain, there has been about 30% more maize planted than usual. Some of this might be available to purchase on contract. As harvest begins, whole-crop may become available. Longer-term beet is an option, but this would need to be secured now for delivery later. Moist feed As grass is still growing and we are still in the summer months, now is the time to enquire about some moist feed that can be pitted for feeding in the winter/spring months. As soon as the winter sets in, supply will be booked out. Concentrates Concentrates will always play a major role, and especially when the deficit of feed is <100 t. They are simple and more convenient to use, and you know what you are getting. Some merchants might even have a favourable price now for future delivery. Increasing concentrates relative to silage will not only spare silage but also improve milk and live weight performance. Forage extenders While not up to the quality of concentrates, forage extenders feed like excellent-quality forage. 2-3 kg of forage extenders can replace 8-12 kg of silage, and it sometimes can be cheaper than comparable silage when utilisation, etc., are considered. Forage crops As crops come off and land becomes available, the planting of a catch crop like rape, redstart, etc., can be possible up to September. Acting fast is important, as the later the catch crop is sown, the lower the tonnage — and it has the negative of tying up some ground initially. Alternatively, the planting of westerwolds or Italian ryegrass early could give a grazing late in the year or an early cut of silage in the new year.
These solutions might help some farms more than others because each farm is different, from the systems employed to the ground type, location, cow type, stocking rate and more.
Unfortunately, poor weather conditions affect every farm in some shape or form, and these events are becoming more common, Alltech have said.
“Farmers need to protect themselves in the long term by building resilience into their system of farming rather than just reacting to issues each time, which can be very time-consuming, worrisome and expensive,” the company stated.