General
The team will be doing a count of all baleage bales on farm to ensure we have sufficient to meet winter and spring feed budget requirements
Plan to stop feeding DDG in the grain blend in the next load - with pasture crude protein in the mid to high 20's and nitrogen requirements there is no shortage of protein in the diet; DDG is also more expensive than barley
Looking to extend the rotation out to 35 days for both farm systems
Started aerating paddocks damaged during spring utilising a borrowed ground hog machine; also identifying paddocks for deep aeration
Scheduled our autumn animal consult with Vet South for next week
Working with LIC and MSD to try and understand where things may have gone wrong during mating
*photo Feb 24
Standard herd
First culls to head away next week then at fortnightly intervals until all gone by 1st May
Increased inshed feeding and removing PKE in trailers in the paddock to minimise pasture damage
Direct supplementary feed costs from last week = $2.45/cow/day and $17.70 estimated milk revenue
Swede yielding has started - paddocks are generally looking even
Have done contingency feed budget calculations for if the standard R2's need to be wintered on the support block
Not in calf rate of 12%
Future herd
Holding current levels of inshed feed but reducing the proportion of PKE to 30%
Pre-graze covers suggest silage will not be required this week
Current direct supplementary feed costs - $1.15/cow/day and $20.40 estimated milk revenue
Italian paddocks have been mown this week; aiming to graze these as our first winter paddocks so planning another cut before shutting up for winter
R2's from this herd will be wintered at the support block
Not in calf rate of 18% :-(
