Macalister Demonstration Farm

Dairy Research Farm demonstrating best management practice

 

Macalister Demonstration Farm

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MDF Fortnightly Update 527

September 25, 2020 by MDF

Measuring per cow profitability and per ha profitability

Every decision has an input today and an output tomorrow, a cost today and a potential benefit later. You apply the input if you judge that the anticipated output response from the input, (with the known prices of the input and output applied, and the risk you have it wrong) will be worth it. Applying nitrogen, keeping the grazing rotation longer, keeping the grazing residue high enough, are examples of input decisions with possible benefits in the future.

 

Feeding Pastures for Profit uses current observation (sometimes called the “Body of Evidence” of paddocks, cows, and vat), and judgement of the future, to help make the best decisions.

 

Here is the body of evidence for paddock 23 at the MDF: soil moisture a bit dry, but irrigating now; achieving 34 days grazing rest, 2.2 leaves regrown, on a 30 day grazing allocation, no sign of seed heads (at least not in the very dominant PRG); 1,000 kg DM per hectare available; grazing residue between clumps 3 cm, very high utilisation (percentage of grass on offer eaten), cows standing at the gate, then following the bike.

 

The other MID farm is producing almost the same milk per cow, with the same feed efficiency, but is making more margin (a bit less per cow, but much more per hectare). The other farm has a higher stocking rate, higher grass consumed per hectare, and higher grain fed per cow. Note, for the other farm, that its “feed costs /kg MS” are higher and “proportion of grazed grass” in diet lower.

 

FEED MARGIN PERFORMANCE MDF TEN DAYS AGO MDF THIS TEN DAYS ANOTHER MID FARM Units
Ten days to date: 10-Sep-20 20-Sep-20 20-Sep-20  
Milker graze area 58 63 60 Ha
Milkers 200 215 285 Head
Stocking rate 3.4 3.4 4.8 cows/ha
Average graze rest time 46 34 35 Days
Estm’d pasture consmp’n 43 42 51 kg DM/ha/day
Pasture consum’d per cow 12.4 12.4 10.7 kg DM/cow/day
Pasture growing spend $2.28 $2.28 $2.10 $/ha/day
Estm’d pasture price $53 $54 $41 $/T DM
Conc (incl additives)supp fed/cow 5.0 5.4 7.2 kg DM/cow/day
Conc (incl additives)supp avg price $387 $387 $392 $/T DM
Hay/silage supp fed/cow 0.0 0.0 0.0 kg DM/cow/day
Hay/silage supp price       $/T DM
Feed Conversion Efficiency 113 113 113 kg MS/tonne DM
Total feed intake/cow 17.2 17.6 17.6 kg DM/cow/day
NDF Fibre in diet 33.4% 33.1% 27.6% % NDF
Litres/cow 26.1 27.2 27.8 l/cow/day
Fat test 4.07% 4.09% 3.87% %
Protein test 3.40% 3.29% 3.43% %
Milk Solids per cow 1.95 2.01 2.03 kg/cow/day
Milk price (less levies)/kg MS $5.72 $5.70 $5.74 $/kg MS
Milk price (less levies)/litre $0.43 $0.42 $0.42 $ per litre
Milk income/cow $11.15 $11.44 $11.64 $/cow/day
All feed cost/cow $2.58 $2.76 $3.27 $/cow/day
Margin over all Feed/cow $8.58 $8.68 $8.37 $/cow/day
MOAF /ha /day $29.58 $29.62 $39.78 $/ha/day
Farm MOAF per DAY $1,716 $1,866 $2,387 $/day
Feed cost $/kg MS $1.32 $1.37 $1.61 $/ kg MS
Proportion of grazed grass in diet 72% 70% 61% %

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Fortnightly Updates

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The Macalister Demonstration Farm, formerly the Macalister Research Farm, is a farmer-owned co-operative established on April 13th 1960. A collaboration between dairy farmers of the MID and the Department of Agriculture at Maffra resulted in the … Read More

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