Analyzing the drivers of profitability. The MDF is milking 290 cows, a little below target, and the lowest number for many years. Milk solids per cow (now 1.93 kg) is falling, is below the December target, and below last year. However, pasture consumption (58 kg DM per hectare per day) is above … [Read more...]

The importance of grass in the diet.  Let us compare the MDF with another dairy farm. At the moment, our litre production is lower than target, but milk solids per cow is on target, because the fat and protein test are up. Litres are less relevant, when talking about milk production, especially … [Read more...]

Monitoring inputs to optimise outputs   Calving is now completed at the MDF, milking 295 cows, with 4.2 cows per hectare. There were 291 cows at the same time last year. The grazing allocation is set at 1/30th of the farm and the actual grazing rest-time is 30 … [Read more...]

  The Perennial Ryegrass is now seed-heading strongly. Clumps that were grazed to 12 cm at the previous grazing have a lot of well-developed seed-heads, whereas the patches that were grazed to 4 cm have far less.  Presumably the shorter grazing removed a lot of rising, but not obvious, heads … [Read more...]

Growing and consuming grass at the MDF.  At the MDF, milk per cow is above target, but cow numbers are a little behind this time last year, so stocking rate is a little lower. These lower numbers haven’t stopped the grass consumption/hectare being on target at 51 kg DM/ha/day, with grass/cow over … [Read more...]