When feed prices are high, you may start looking for things to cut out of your dairy herd’s ration. But it’s important to be aware of how a seemingly minor adjustment to a ration can impact dry matter intake or nutrient utilization and, ultimately, your bottom line.
“With corn and soybean prices through the roof, it’s more important than ever to identify ways feed efficiency can be improved,” said Sara Kvidera, PhD, technical consultant, Elanco Animal Health. Increasing feed efficiency allows the cow to get more energy out of the diet she’s fed.
Rather than cutting important ingredients from the ration to save money, here are four ways to help maximize feed efficiency on your dairy.
1. Reduce the amount of stress your cows are experiencing. Stress can activate the immune system. Heat stress is one well-known culprit. Psychological stress caused by too much time outside of the pen, pen moves, inconsistent feeding, and other activities which disrupt a cow’s normal day may also lead to inflammation.
A good first step is being consistent and meticulous with feed delivery. A competitive or unpredictable feed environment can be a major stressor for cows, and we know that stress can lead to negative health outcomes.
“When feed delivery is delayed for long periods of time, cows’ immune systems are activated,” said Dr. Kvidera. “This is energetically costly, as the activated immune system then utilizes nutrients that would normally be used for milk production.”
By ensuring cows always have access to fresh feed and water, more of the energy they receive from their diet can go toward producing milk.
2. Refrain from cutting feed additives which increase efficiency. While removing a feed additive may save you a few cents per day on feed costs, it may not make the most financial sense for your herd. Lowering your feed cost per cow per day will not help you financially if it results in a higher cost per pound of milk produced due to lower production.
“When feed prices are high, many producers often start pulling feed additives to cheapen the cost of the diet,” said Dr. Kevin Dhuyvetter, Elanco technical consultant. “However, keeping proven efficiency-boosting additives in the ration during times of high input costs can really pay off.”
Rumensin® – a feed additive – increases milk production efficiency*1 by up to 4% more energy per pound of feed, for a return on investment of at least 5:1.2 In fact, for a cow eating 60 lbs of dry matter, the extra energy she gets from a diet with Rumensin is similar to the energy a cow would get from consuming 1 to 2 lbs of corn.
When feed prices go up total feed costs increase, but this is also when the value of additives, such as Rumensin, are at their highest, so there is no better time to increase efficiency than during high feed prices (See Figure 1).
Producers feeding Rumensin provide more energy to cows with less feedstuffs, ultimately enabling valuable resources produced on the farm to last longer.
“When looking at late lactation cows, for example, a feed additive like Rumensin can reduce overall feed consumption by 2% while maintaining the same milk production,”3 said Dr. Dhuyvetter. “This 2% decrease in feed consumption over time can really help stretch the on-farm feed inventory—which means producers won’t have to spend as much money buying feed from external sources.”
3. Get the most out of alternative feeds. Byproduct feeds can be used to provide an economical source of nutrients for dairy cattle. And, as the price of corn and soybean meal increases, alternative feed prices tend to follow suit. This is why Dr. Kvidera still recommends incorporating a feed additive when using alternative feed inputs.
“With corn prices the way they are, producers are using more byproduct feeds, and these feeds can be inconsistent in quality and nutrient profile,” said Dr. Kvidera. “A feed additive like Rumensin won’t necessarily help the ration become more uniform nutrient-wise, but it has consistently shown a 2-4% improvement in feed efficiency across several different trials and diet types.”3
4. Work closely with your nutritionist. Your nutritionist can help you determine how to cut back on cow stress, utilize the right feed additives, and get the most out of alternative feeds. Determining cost-effective options to improve feed efficiency and get the most return on your feed costs as possible is a team effort.
*Energy is a direct result of the Rumensin mode of action.
The label contains complete use information, including cautions and warnings. Always read, understand and follow the label and use directions.
CAUTION: Consumption by unapproved species or feeding undiluted may be toxic or fatal. Do not feed to veal calves.
Feeding Directions
For Dairy Cows: For increased milk production efficiency (production of marketable solids-corrected milk per unit of feed intake)
Total Mixed Rations (“complete feed”): Feed continuously to dry and lactating dairy cows a total mixed ration (“complete feed”) containing 11 to 22 g/ton monensin on a 100% DM basis.
Component Feeding Systems (including top dress): Feed continuously to dry and lactating cows a Type C medicated feed containing 11 to 400 g/ton monensin. The Type C medicated feed must be fed in a minimum of 1.0 lb of feed/cow/day to provide 185 to 660 mg/hd/day monensin to lactating cows or 115 to 410 mg/hd/day monensin to dry cows. This provides cows with similar amounts of monensin they would receive by consuming total mixed rations containing 11 to 22 g/ton monensin on a 100% DM basis.
