Dairy Business Centre
December 2020 Newsletter 

 

 

 

 

 

In this months Newsletter: 

 

 

 

 

Retaining the Quality for Silage Stack and Bales

Quality silage starts with successful fermentation. We can break down the silage making process into four stages:

  1. Aerobic Phase
  2. Fermentation Phase (Anaerobic)
  3. Stable Phase
  4. Feed Out Phase
1. Aerobic Phase 
No matter how good compaction of the stack is there will always be air pockets where oxygen is trapped. The trapped oxygen is consumed by plant respiration and aerobic microorganisms. When oxygen is present, respiration occurs causing the breakdown of plant sugars into liquids, and, gases such as carbon dioxide, and the release of heat. Exponential growth of moulds and especially yeasts  contribute to carbohydrate breakdown, consuming carbohydrates as fuel to grow.Presence of mould leads to: 
  • Visible mould growth
  • Spoilage
  • Putrid smells
  • Possible mycotoxin production
Presence of Yeasts leads to:
  • Heat production
  • Water & steam
  • CO2
Respiration in the silage stack = loss of available nutrients and energy, increasing NDF and decreasing Net Energy Lactation.
Until the oxygen is eliminated, fermentation cannot continue.  
2. Fermentation Phase (Anaerobic)
This phase is when there is no oxygen is present in the stack. Anaerobic lactic acid bacteria begin to grow and multiply rapidly. They use plant sugars and produce lactic and acetic acids. The accumulation of these acids reduces the pH of the forage.
This process requires:
  • Anaerobic conditions – oxygen must be eliminated.
  • Adequate substrate (sugars) for Lactic Acid Bacteria
  • Low buffering capacity
  • A sufficient population of lactic acid bacteria and/or reduced competition from fungi for the same sugars
Inoculants will not work until there is no oxygen in the stack
3. Stable Phase
Stable Phase is achieved when the pH reaches 3.8 – 5.0 and there is little to no biological activity.

In a tight, compacted stack, this phase lasts until the stack is opened and comes in contact with oxygen. Best stability occurs when no oxygen can get into the silage stack.

If your silage contains moulds, silage effluent,  dark colouration, and heating then there is too much oxygen in the stack preventing healthy fermentation from occurring. 

4. Feed Out Phase
During the Feed Out Phase we see the results of mould and yeast colonisation in the stack. This can be visible mould, putrid smells, or silage heating/ steam visible, due to yeasts causing secondary fermentation aka composting.

To maintain the quality at the silage face, keep the face of the silage smooth and flat to minimise the surface area decreasing overall contact with oxygen.

How can Silo Guard improve your silage quality?

Silo Guard is an oxygen scavenger composed of  enzymes and sulphur compounds that act as a fermentation aid and as a mould inhibitor.

Since we can’t control the numbers of moulds and yeast coming from the paddock, all we can do is use good forage management and use Silo Guard to mitigate the risk.  By eliminating the remaining oxygen trapped in well compacted silage, Silo Guard keeps the moulds and yeasts dormant while allowing fermentation to start sooner since, fermentation cannot begin until all oxygen is gone.  The acids produced during fermentation, both lactic and acetic, will help lower the numbers of dormant moulds and yeast, so during the Feed Out Phase we should have cool silage with little to no trace of mould or yeasts.

 

There is no need for inoculants as they can only function when oxygen is removed from the stack. Silo Guard removes the oxygen speeding up fermentation time and enhances the natural fermentation grasping wild type bacteria aka wild type inoculants.

Silo Guard is simple to apply, easy to handle and can last up to 3 years in storage. There is no need to premix, cool store or worry about handling when using Silo Guard.

Check out the video below showing how Silo Guard can preserve and maintain the quality of any herbage or fruit.

 

 

 

Improve your silage quality with Silo Guard ! No bacteria. No acid. Silo Guard is an oxygen scavenger which eliminates oxygen from the stack/bale allowing for faster, healthier fermentation. Preventing dark colouration, moulds, moisture and yeasts which cause heating. Just like with the banana, Silo Guard is preserving the crop and preventing the herbage from spoiling.
Click here to see Silo Guard NZ Facebook Page

 

 

The N Cap for Pastoral Farming

The N (Nitrogen) Cap is proposed N fertiliser use limitation for pastoral farms in a bid to reduce overall N leaching.
Going forward, farmers are going to need to look at alternative Nitrogen fertilisers that will allow them to not exceed the N Cap but maintain pasture productivity.

The N Cap Rules Include:

  • Synthetic Nitrogen Fertiliser use is to be kept at or below 190 kg of Nitrogen per hectare per year.
  • All pastoral farmers will need to report Synthetic Nitrogen Fertiliser use once a year from mid-2022.

Going forward, farmers are going to need to look at alternative Nitrogen fertilisers that will allow them to not exceed the N Cap but still maintain pasture productivity.

How can we maintain grass growth under the N Cap?

Rustica Time Release Fertiliser
CR-N44, 90 – 120 Day Release

Rustica Time Release is a controlled release nitrogen fertiliser that releases nutrients over a set period of time. The rate of nutrient release is determined by temperature and moisture of the environment which is designed to release nutrients when the plant requires them. ie: in cooler conditions, plant growth slows down, so does Rustica Time Release.

Heavy rainfall does not impact the rate of fertiliser released, so nutrient losses via leaching are minimal when compare to conventional fertilisers such as Urea.

Overseer 

Rustica Time Release CR-N44, 90-120 day release applied at 70-80% of the rate of Urea reduces overall N applied by 20-30% without a drop in pasture production.

An independent study recorded 66% more DM over a 100 day period using 20% less N.

Where leaching is concerned, Rustica Time Release CR-N44 is a handy tool to use. Suitable for all soil types, with the most benefits of N loss reductions being seen in highly irrigated, free draining soils. Rustica Time Release, releases nutrients slowly, where N is rapidly absorbed by the plant. The slow, steady release of Rustica Time Release over light to heavy soils will maintain production using less N, and reduce the total number of fertiliser applications required per hectare per year.

 To Learn more about how Rustica Time Release fertilisers can aid with the N Cap, click the link below to Viable Agriculture’s webpage. 

 

 

Viable Agriculture – Rustica Time Release

 

 

Heat Stress in Cows 

Heat Stress is when the heat load in cows is greater than their ability to lose heat. Cows are more sensitive to heat stress than humans, due to their rumen’s activity by-product being heat.

In New Zealand, a cow will be in heat stress at a temperature of 21ºc and 70% humidity. Although cows may not show behavioural signs of being in heat stress, they are more susceptible to health issues such as increased somatic cell (SCC) and increased lameness due to supressed immunity.

Under heat stress, not only is immunity supressed but DMI and rumination is decreased leading to decreases in milk production and changes in milk composition.

Remember when cows are on the yard, their overall body temperature and impact of heat stress increases, due to being in close proximity to other heat stressed stock, lack of air flow and being yarded on warm surfaces such as concrete.

Simple cost effective methods to reduce the effects of heat stress is to add Kemtrace Organic Liquid Chromium to the diet. Organic Chromium aids with homeostatic thermoregulation. Giving the animal the ability to cope with warmer environments while still being productive. Herds supplemented with Kemtrace Organic Liquid Chromium are able to maintain productivity through thermoregulation, increased appetite, leading to increase DMI and energy.

This year, one of DBC’s monitor farms added liquid chromium to the system! Since using liquid chromium, the “cows appear to be more content in times of stress, no predominant signs of panting and have managed the heat more effectively than previous seasons.” This has contributed to overall happy and productive cows.

Click the link below to find the average hours per day in summer in your area that are hot enough to impact cow comfort and milk production. 

 

 

Heat Stress – Dairy NZ

 

 

Product of the Month

Silo Guard 

Moulds and Yeasts (heating) present in silage indicate poor compaction, higher oxygen and moisture levels leading to slow fermentation. Until oxygen is eliminated, the mould and yeasts will continue to colonise causing heating from yeasts, and mould to grow resulting in loss of carbohydrates, protein and digestibility. To prevent mould and yeast production and improve overall silage quality, then you need to use Silo Guard.

Silo Guard is an oxygen scavenger, eliminating oxygen from bales and stacks allowing for fermentation to occur faster.

Silo Guard is simple to apply, easy to handle and can last up to 3 years in storage. There is no need to premix, cool store or worry about handling when using Silo Guard.

Use on your Maize Silage, Grass Silage, Lucerne, Whole Crop, any herbage that can be stacked or wrapped.

 

 

 

 

Milk Urea and Protein Deficiencies 

Milk Urea (MU) is a tool used to assess the protein and energy balance status of the herd. MU indicates that amount of Urea found in milk is an indicator of wastage – cows can never utilise all the nitrogen (N) in their body. MU are used to evaluate milk production, feed management practices, DMI, degradable protein, un-degradable proteins and water intake. MUN is Milk Urea Nitrogen which is the Nitrogen component of MU.

MU should fall between 20 and 30 mmol/L (MUN between 10 and 16 mg/dl). MU of 25 to 30 are better than 20 to 25, this would indicate sufficient protein in the diet. If the average MU level is outside the normal range, it is a good idea to determine the cause. The first thing to check is milk production. Environmental factors do cause MU to fluctuate.

Because MU’s flucculate, you cannot rely on Milk Urea’s to indicate a protein deficiency in the herds diet. Protein deficiency may be happening before your herds Milk Urea’s drop.

The graph below is displaying the trend in milk production in key dairy regions. The trend shows a decline in peak production occurring from late October. This can be due to several factors such as:

  • Change in pasture quality
  • Increase in NDF and Decrease in Available Protein
  • Sunshine hours
  • Fertiliser Application
To prevent the drop in milk production, quality RDP is recommended to be added to the diet two weeks prior to the expected milk drop to help maintain production and prevent milk drop.

 

 

 

 

What’s Being Seen in the Field

Across the country we are seeing the effects of the La Niña weather pattern prompting dry conditions in Canterbury and wet conditions in the Waikato and Southland. Due to this, it has important to maintain adequate feed inputs and also appropriate mineral supplementation to maintain BCS, production and strong cycling cows who hold in calf.The DBC reps are busy helping farmers overcome these challenging times providing the best nutrition and advice for a successful season.

Things to check:

  • Mating – Have you reached target? If not why? Check mineral status
  • Monitor pasture quality – Protein  availability has dropped and NDF is increasing. To monitor these changes send  your pasture samples to the DBC lab. To prevent the lack of protein crashing milk production, get in touch for protein supplementation to combat the NDF rise.
  • Are you mowing before or after the herd? Want to learn more about when to mow click here to see last months newsletter featuring pre and post grazing mowing: https://dairybusiness.co.nz/2020/11/09/mowing-paddocks-to-mow-pre-or-post-grazing/ 
  • Manure Score – Use your herds manure score to help monitor pasture quality and cow comfort. Score 1-2 and bubbles, the cows diet is rich in protein and may have SARA. Score 4-5, NDF is high in the cows diet.
  • Calves – Keep feeding quality nutrition to keep calves growing, weaned calves should be supplements loose lick minerals to continue their growth.
  • Young stock mating – Ensure they are receiving appropriate mineral supplementation such as loose licks for continued growth and successful reproduction. The best form of mineral supplementation for heifers at grazing are Loose Lick options. This always ensures consistent mineral consumption when compared to mineral injectables and lick blocks.

 

 

 

 

Calves – Continuing Growth Once Weaned 

We all spend a lot of time and energy growing good, strong heathy calves so why would we not continue the same effort once calves are weaned and off to grazing?

To continue this growth it is important to not only provide quality nutrition but also minerals. Calves are still in their critical growth stage. For the first 12 months of their life, skeletal growth occurs through the multiplication of cells. After 12 months, growth then moves to cellular stretch. We need to ensure calves have multiplied as many cells as possible during this period to ensure strong, healthy bones. If calves are grown out well, with optimal number of cells, then cellular stretch will have the heifer’s skeletal structure the same height as what she would be as a mature cow.

We are beginning to see the effects of young stock failing to be supplemented appropriate minerals during their critical growth stage. Resulting in spiral fractures, broken bones, and down cows once they enter the lactating herd.

Don’t undo the hard work you have put into rearing your calves. Supplement your young stock not just with trace minerals but with macro minerals too. Supplement your young stock with minerals from DBC’s Loose Lick range! 

DBC’s Loose Licks are formulated to meet the requirements for the growing animals, with a complete dose of trace minerals, macro minerals, biotin and Aqua Shield a non toxic water proofing agent to prevent wastage.

All DBC minerals are formulated for maximum absorption and utilisation from the animal.

 

 

 

 

Pre – Order for Christmas

Christmas is a busy time of year with staff away, transport and mills slowing down. Make sure you have been in touch with the DBC team about ordering your feed and minerals to ensure you have enough to cover your herd during the silly season.

We are recommending to have your December and early January orders in place now to ensure delivery when required.

Dairy Business Centre Open Hours:
Days Closed: 25th & 28th Dec and 1st & 4th Jan
Hours: 8am – 5pm Weekdays 

 

 

 

 

Market Update

The DBC arrow traffic light system is a good indication on the direction the market price is moving and when the time is right to buy.

Commodity pricing is still higher than anyone would like, however, with the current global circumstances these high pricing’s may become the new normal for future seasons.

The PKE price is still high with a slight price drop due to the change in exchange rate. It is estimated that the continuing effects of COVID19 will play a signification role in future pricing of PKE. Be aware that there is not a lot of PKE coming into the country, consequently importers are becoming strict on contract allocation and spread.

The cost of barley has increased compared to previous years, where wheat pricing is remaining fairly consistent due to ample supply.

Protein such as Soya are still higher than we would like as other countries are pulling heavily on supply, although, the lift in currency is helping bring importation prices down.

If you have not contracted the commodities you require for the latter half of the season, please get in touch with your DBC rep about feed options we can provide to help you through these times.

 

 

 

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