Achieving big milk production requires doing a lot of small things correctly and consistently in the feeding center, according to Decorah, Iowa dairyman Ethan Wise.
Wise and his family own and manage Foresight Farms, a 925-cow Holstein herd with a 106-pound-per-cow daily herd average. On a recent podcast hosted by the Iowa State University Extension Dairy Team, he shared his thoughts on the attention to feeding detail needed to optimize herd performance.
“One of our rules is to never interrupt the feeders while they’re feeding,” he said. “We only have one payloader on the farm, and it may not seem like a big deal to borrow it for a quick, 5-minute job. But it disrupts their rhythm and creates opportunities for mistakes to happen.”
Another standard practice at the farm is to attach the defacer to the wheel loader at night, so the equipment is available and ready to go for the feeders every morning. “It may seem like a small thing, but I think it emphasizes to everyone on the farm how important that task is,” noted Wise.
The herd’s nutritionist, Jordan Hunt with GPS Dairy Consultants, underscored the critical nature of face management on a daily basis. He said even on days when challenging situations may interrupt the dairy’s normal routines, attention to the silage face is non-negotiable, because it can have such lasting impact on the herd’s performance for days or even weeks ahead.
Consideration of the face is also the reason Hunt recommends a strict, 5-7 day transition between bunkers or piles, working from 1/3-2/3 to ½-1/2 to 2/3-1/3 over the course of that timespan.
He doesn’t waver from that advice, even if there is great variation between the two batches, like a large swing in starch digestibility. “When you’re working with two batches, both faces are deteriorating,” noted Hunt. “Especially in the summertime, it’s not worth stretching out that timeframe, because I think you risk more feed quality by having two open faces.”
Foresight Farms recently constructed a heated shop that accommodates all of the feeding equipment in the winter months. Wise said it’s difficult to put a value on that investment, but “when you roll in and it’s 40-below, and you’ve got all of your feeding equipment in a heated space, that makes a lot of winter days go quite a bit smoother.”
Hunt advised that the loading surface on which feeders are asked to prepare batches also influences resources and performance. “Concrete and asphalt don’t last forever,” he said. “When you start to get a lot of potholes and eroded areas, that’s a big area for feed loss and shrink, and it slows down your feeders as they work.”
Daily “feeding hygiene” also underscores the respect for details at Foresight Farms. As tires are removed from silage cover, they are stacked versus piled. Before starting the morning routine, feeders check fluid levels like engine oil and hydraulic oil on all equipment. And a culture of general neatness is promoted.
“Our mantra is, ‘If it fit in your lunchbox going into the cab, it will fit on the way out,’” stated Wise, referring to pop cans, food wrappers, etc. “When you work daily with equipment that is clean and well-taken-care-of, it instills a feeling of pride for everyone on the team.”
For more on nutrition, read:
- Ready for the Switch? The Dairy Merits of Switchgrass
- How Much Can a Probiotic Really Do?
- Straw Can Pose Mycotoxin Risk in Dairy Heifer Diets
