TAGS

HubWatch – 23 May 2025

General

  • Dry cows will return from the support block this week for the Standard dries to start transitioning onto swedes with the rest of the herd early next week

  • Focusing on running the inshed feed silos as low as possible by dry off

  • Reassessing the fate of the 6 remaining discretionary culls to determine whether any get a reprieve this year

Standard herd

  • Removed grain from the inshed feeding, just feeding PKE

  • Started feeding hay and straw as part of the dry down process, reducing the amount of pasture in the diet ahead of drying off on the 23rd May.

  • Total feed allocation of 17.0 kg DM/cow/day

  • Average pasture cover has held this week so tracking well to end of season average pasture cover

  • 25 T less supplementary feed required through autumn than budgeted

  • Four additional not in calf cows have been identified through milk testing and vet checking

  • Planning a followup meeting with the team next week to talk through crop wintering plans, including expectations around portable trough and back fence management

  • R2's still on grass and baleage at the support block and will stay there as long as possible given the lower than budgeted swede yields on the milking platform

Future herd

  • Removing PKE from inshed feeding and only feeding crushed grain to the end of season

  • Total feed allocation of 17.5 kg DM/cow/day

  • Will start the drying down process over the weekend ahead of dry off date on the 27th May when the cows will move onto their baleage wintering regime

  • APC has held this week so currently 100 kg DM/ha above the autumn feed budget target

  • 7 T less supplementary feed required through autumn than budgeted

  • R2's moved onto their baleage winter feeding regime