As producers take stock of forage supplies, Cargill’s Ruminant Technical Manager, Philip Ingram, believes that this winter’s ration planning will be game-changing – rather than the more typical fine-tuning. But, despite limited and different forages in many areas, accurate rationing can provide well-balanced and cost-effective diets.

“Think back six months and, despite a long and tough winter, cows reached the late spring in good condition and most were performing on target, despite limited and variable forages,” he said.

“The situation meant that producers and their nutritionists placed extra focus on carefully balancing the rations and this closer attention to nutritional detail and good cow care paid off.”

Winter Forage

Dr. Ingram states that it’s going to be a mixed bag of forage; both in terms of type and quality. Therefore, he encourages producers to maintain this same level of close attention as we approach the winter months.

“A prolonged grazing season, with some late grass growth, has allowed many cows to keep grazing. Although grass looks good, at this stage the quality and intake will be supporting fewer litres of milk than earlier in the season,” said Dr. Ingram.

Unless cows get appropriate buffer feeding and concentrate supplementation, they will make up for the shortfall in nutrients by using their body reserves.

The decent autumn has led to late cuts of silages being made; however, they are soft and mushy, which reduces the structure of the mix.

Maize harvesting was finished early – by three weeks or more in some areas. The hot weather led to higher than usual yields and higher than normal starch levels being recorded.

Reduced fodder stocks will force many changes – for example, for many intensive finishing beef cattle, straw may be their only roughage source this season. Many beef and dairy diets are set to include higher levels of concentrates and co-products, and this brings with it a risk of rumen acidosis and reduced performance.

“We will need to think about the detail and make sure that, if there’s more starch in the diet, it is being used effectively by the animal, rather than adding to the acid load.”

Rumen Buffer Feeding

The strategic use of appropriate rumen buffer feeding will play a valuable role in dairy and intensive beef diets this winter.

“Cattle must be equipped to deal with the challenge of lower fodder and higher concentrate levels to maximise productivity,” he added, highlighting the need on many units for targeted rumen buffers to control rumen pH.

The importance of feeding the correct level of buffer to adequately buffer the rumen pH is crucial. Small levels of buffer – such as 50g – are usually not enough to effectively buffer the rumen pH in larger ruminant animals such as finishing beef cattle or dairy cows, especially if the acid load is high in the rumen.

It is essential to remember that when you feed the animal, you are in fact feeding the rumen microbes, often referred to as ‘rumen bugs.’

On a well-balanced diet, they digest the animal’s feed and convert it into much higher value nutrients – capable of supplying the vast majority of the animal’s nutritional needs.

Rumen microbes need a stable rumen pH of 6.2-6.5, but if this becomes much more acidic (as can easily happen with low-forage, high concentrate diets) they become much less effective – therefore nourishing the animal less effectively and seriously affecting production.

Equaliser Rumen Buffer

Equaliser rumen buffer can be fed to beef and dairy animals. Equaliser is a slow release buffer, buffering the rumen for a longer period due to a blend of different buffering agents.

According to Dr. Ingram: “Equaliser rumen buffer has been tried and tested on Irish and other European farms over the past number of years. Equaliser has proven in trials to have a buffering capacity over 2.6 times that of sodium bicarbonate.”

Cargill has modified its Equaliser rumen buffer range this autumn to better cope with the current beef and dairy diets in Ireland. One new addition is Equaliser Plus, which has been specifically designed for powerful buffering and improved starch utilisation with the inclusion of live yeast.

Dr. Ingram warns producers not to shy away from using additives, but to look at their benefits verses increased ration costs.

The real consideration is income over feed cost. A balanced diet this winter is crucial – take care to balance nutrients such as starch, sugars and rapidly degradable protein.

Feeding and housing management will play a significant role.

“Check TMR or PMR ration mix is good to avoid sorting and watch cow behaviour to assess if sorting is happening. Changes to mixing time, diet moisture and other tweaks can improve this dramatically. Regular push-ups, good feeding space per cow, and avoiding overcrowding are particularly important this winter.

“In intensively fed beef animals, check that these animals are actively cudding when lying down and observe manure consistency to ensure excessive grains are not been passed undigested.”

Ration Checklist

  • Know what the forage is worth nutritionally. Take representative samples and get them analysed – at least every month – so changes are monitored and rations adjusted.
  • Be aware of the impact of different forages on the diet and on animal performance. For example, wholecrop can have a positive effect on rumen health, but energy, protein and mineral content must be carefully balanced.
  • Less forage in the ration and more co-products / concentrates / grains may make cows predisposed to acidosis. Follow good feed management routines (feed delivery, mix quality, regular push-ups) and consider using a rumen buffer.
  • Mark the silo and record how much forage is used and check if this use is on target. If not, make minor adjustments throughout the season, rather than having to make sudden drastic changes.
  • Consider unfamiliar co-products and work with a nutritionist to establish their real feed value. Depending on the origin, some of these products can be quite variable, so they also need monitoring as the season progresses. Special storage may be needed to avoid spoilage and to ensure efficient use.

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