Level II Agricultural Business Operations

To gain an understanding of animal nutritional requirements To asses the quality of silage To assess the quantity of silage available for winter feeding To gain understanding of the different types of concentrate feedstuffs available To assess the quality of various feedstuffs

Animals need a balanced diet containing the correct amounts of:  Energy: for movement and growth  Protein: for muscles, milk production, and embryo development  Minerals: for bones and to maintain the animal’s system

Water Food Dry matter Carbohydrate Protein Fats Mineral and vitamins All foods contain Water ---- the remaining part is called Dry Matter Fibre

Cattle require energy for: Maintenance Production - Growth - Milk Energy (ME) is measured in megajoules (MJ) REQUIREMENT = MAINTENANCE + PRODUCTION

LWT Maintenance Req. (MJ) Maintenance The amount of energy an animal needs for maintenance depends on their size A 400 kg store heifer requires 46MJ/day to maintain herself

Liveweight Gain  It takes 32MJ to produce 1kg of live-weight gain Milk Production  It takes 5MJ to produce 1litre of milk

 A 400 kg store heifer growing at 0.5kg per day ◦ Maintenance requirement = 46MJ ◦ Growth: 32MJ per 1Kg x 0.5 = 16MJ _____ Total Daily Requirement = 62MJ All feed decisions revolve around meeting this target

Silage forms the bulk of the livestock diet for six months of the year through the winter months. Silage is conserved grass that is made by farmers when the grass supply is plentiful. Silage is made by preserving the grass under naturally produced acidic conditions which effectively pickle the crop. Silage is quite moist and usually preferred by livestock to hay as it is more palatable and of higher food value.

 Target best silage to most productive stock –  Finishing cattle  Lactating cows  Young growing cattle  Dry cows

 To assess feed value, predicted animal performance and the need for supplementation.  To identify early the stability of the silage and possible impacts on waste and animal health.

Wait until six weeks after harvest. Take several cores across the clamp. Squeeze air out before sealing tightly. Send to lab early in the week. Provide as much information as possible e.g. 1st or 2nd cut

ME

ValueIndicatesHigh quality silage Good quality silage Average quality silage Poor quality silage Metabolisable energy (ME) (MJ/kg DM) Measure of the energy content of the silage. > <10.5 Crude protein (CP) (%) Measure of the silage crude protein content > – 11<10 Dry matter (DM) (%) Measure of the quantity of material left after drying > 3025 – 3020 – 25<20

ValueIndicatesHigh quality silage Good quality silage Average quali ty silage Poor quality silag e Metabolisable energy (ME) (MJ/kg DM) Measure of the energy content of the silage. > <10.5 Crude protein (CP) (%) Measure of the silage crude protein content > – 11<10 Dry matter (DM) (%) Measure of the quantity of material left after drying > 3025 – 3020 – 25<20

ValueIndicatesHigh quality silage Good quality silage Average quality silage Poor quality sila ge Metabolisable energy (ME) (MJ/kg DM) Measure of the energy content of the silage. > <10.5 Crude protein (CP) (%) Measure of the silage crude protein content > – 11<10 Dry matter (DM) (%) Measure of the quantity of material left after drying > 3025 – 3020 – 25<20

pH is a measure of the acidity of the silage; it gives an indication of the fermentation quality and hence the ability of the silage to store. Ideally, silages will have a pH 3.8 – 4.2.

Measuring Quantity Silo/Pit: Length (m) x Width (m) x Height (m) = Volume (m 3 ) X Dry Matter Conversion factor = Tonnes of silage

30m 5m Width of pit = 10m Assume silage is 30% Dry matter 3m Example Calculation silage in pit 4 ?

Section A: 30 x 3 x 10 = 900m 3 Plus Section B: 5 x 3 x 10 = 150m3 X 0.5 = 75 m 3 Total = = 975m 3 30m5m 3m 10m wide A B

Conversion Factors Silage Dry Matter Conversion factor

Tonnes of Silage = Silage Pit Volume x Dry Matter Conversion Factor 975 x 0.6 = 585 Tonnes of Silage

Fodder Balance Worksheet

Silage stocks (t) Pit 1475 Pit 2460 Pit 3430 Pit 4535 Round bales13 Total1913 Total Silage Stocks Farm Example:

Silage Requirements Type of stockNo Requirement per month (t) Months Silage requirement Autumn calver Spring calver kg – 350 kg – 250 kg calves Total silage required 1491tonne

Ration ingredients Relative Feed Value Understanding feed labels

Meal  14 % Moisture (Water)  86 % Dry Matter – minimum ME 12.5 MJ/kgDM Silage  75 % Moisture (Water)  25 % Dry Matter Meal is up to 4 x more concentrated energy than silage

 Straights  Blends  Pellets  Coarse Feeds Blends, Pellets and Coarse feeds are a combination of straights, designed for a specific feed task

 Straights are individual feed ingredients.  Can be classified as either: ◦ Energy sources ◦ Protein Sources ◦ Fibre Sources The combination of straights fed depends on: -Target animal performance -Cost (Relative Feed Value) -The quality of forage material available

ProteinEnergyFibre Soya bean mealBarleyOats Rapeseed mealWheatBeet pulp Peas & BeansMaize glutenCitrus pulp LinseedMaize (yellow meal) Soya hulls Maize distillersVegetable/fish oilStraw

FeedProtein%MERelative value (£) Dried barley Wheat Maize Soya hulls Citrus pulp Sugar beet pulp Soyabean meal Rapeseed meal Maize distillers Maize gluten

 A mix of different straights blended together at the feed mill  Cheapest form of buying meal apart from buying in the straights and mixing yourself  Possible to buy a specified ration  Potential to be dusty with poorer palatability Blends

 Extra cost for pelleting  Reduces dust significantly  Prevents cattle picking out individual ingredients.  Flows well in hoppers and meal bins.

 Most expensive way to make up a ration  Used as away to improve intakes.  Most coarse feeds are based on around 20-30% flaked maize- can separate out in creep feeders  Often contains ingredients that are cooked or steamed to improve digestibility and palatability

 Must declare ◦ Crude Protein, ◦ Oil, ◦ Ash, ◦ Crude fibre  Ingredients are listed in descending order.  No legal requirement to declare ME

Two 17% CP Store cattle blends - which is best?: Ration 1 Maize Meal, Wheatfeed, Palm Kernel, Oatfeed, Rapeseed Meal, Sunflower Ext, Soyabean Meal Ration 2 Maize Meal, Distillers, Barley, Rapeseed Meal, Soya Hulls Ration 1: ME 11.4 Ration 2: ME 13.4 Ration Quality

 Grass, silage, straw, and meal all contain minerals  Only required in small amounts  Deficiency can cause nutrition disorders  High producing animals most at risk  Oversupply can cause toxicity

 Lick Buckets/Feed blocks  Direct inclusion in feed rations  Boluses  Molasses Licks  Pasture Dusting  In-Line Water Dispensers

 Assess silage ◦ Quality ◦ Quantity  Know your animals requirements  Select a suitable concentrate ◦ Suitable quality ingredients ◦ Value for money