Welcome to Debby Brown The search for the perfect inoculant takes the team Austria.

Advanced Nutrition is just that. We’re all about offering advice which helps you to match modern cutting edge management techniques with modern genetics. We are also able to bring you new products designed to further help your livestock performance and ultimately its profitability.

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In fact, we’re prepared to travel the world to search out the latest technology and last month visited Austria to investigate further the benefits of Bonsilage, a silage additive providing exceptional fermentation characteristics and which we’ve agreed to make available for the first time to our customers. See p4 for more details. Following our meeting at Lactosan Ltd, a subsidiary of the Schaumann group where Bonsilage is manufactured, we went on to visit a typical family run dairy farm managed by Anton and Elfriede Leichfried, located in the south west of the country. They are currently milking 30 cows (not an untypical herd size for Austrian farmers)

averaging over 10,000 litres at 4.5% butter fat and 3.9% protein. The all year round calving herd with a calving index of 390 days and a farmgate milk price of 37ppl. The herd was housed throughout the year and fed a TMR diet comprising a 50/50 mix of 35kg clover and forage maize silage, 2kgs hay and 3.5kg concentrate. Additional concentrate was fed from out of parlour feeders. Concentrate feed rate worked out at around 0.2kg per litre and cost around £195 per tonne. The concentrate comprised 50% triticale, 30% corn maize, 20% rape meal plus minerals, and was made on the farm by a visiting mobile mill which calls every three weeks. Producing top quality forage for this high yielding all year round housed herd was an obvious priority. The Leichfrieds applied Bonsilage to their triticale and maize silages and found that the proof of the pudding was, literally in the eating. The forage analysis was not available for this year but on inspection the forages looked to be in perfect condition. The best forage lab, (the cows) certainly gave it the thumbs up and were devouring the mix at an amazing rate. The family’s plans were to double herd size and install either a robotic system or carousel parlour.

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more seasonal ideas and sound technical information all of which are designed to help you to improve your

business’s efficiency and sustainability.

We are very happy to be welcoming Debby to the Advanced Team. Debby qualified as

a Vet at Glasgow University after which she worked as a mixed vet in Melton

Mowbray. Since then, Debby has worked as a farm vet in Barnard Castle working with dairy, beef and sheep farmers of

various sizes and management systems.

Debby’s main area of interest has always been in whole farm management,

especially health management, disease prevention and control and so she gained a general practitioner certificate in farm

animal practice a few years ago (GPcertFAP).

Her skills have widened since being a

consultant with EBLEX and MyHealthyHerd. Debby is currently in the process of facilitating a local monitor farm project which is a great way of working

with all aspects of one farm to ensure it is working to its full potential.

Debby will now add ruminant nutrition and

sales to her skill set and will help us provide an ever broader offering of

services to our customers. Debby joins us in early April.

www.arn-ltd.com 0845 603 1911 office@arn-ltd.com

Spring 2011

James’ Jottings, feeding the springing heifer.

Rearing a replacement heifer to first calving is estimated to cost £1,000. Consequently she needs your attention; she and her stable mates are your herd’s future and life blood. 1 Targets First, set your targets for calving a heifer, scheduled to yield 8,000 litres in her first lactation

23 to 24 months of age

52 to 56 inch wither height

3.25 body condition score

570kg after calving Unless she reaches her post calving target weight, she will fail to reach yield potential. For example, a heifer 45kg below target weight will result in first lactation yield reduced by up to 270 litres. Remember, a heifer should achieve 85% of her mature body weight at calving. The transition heifer may need more energy

She is still growing

Her mammary gland is still growing

Increasing demands are being

made by her growing foetus and uterine tissues

It’s desirable to minimise loss of maternal tissues to support pregnancy and mammary growth 2 The challenges

A heifer’s dry matter intake will be 1.8kg per day lower than a cow’s

An obese heifer’s intake will be

1.2kg DM per day lower than a heifer in the correct condition

The energy density of the diet to meet

a heifer’s requirements is 25% higher than a cow’s

A low dry matter or energy intake can lead to poor immune function, mastitis, metritis, fat mobilisation, ketosis, displaced abomasums

3 Management

Maintain forage quality

Provide adequate feed trough space

Minimise cow competition

Introduce a diet to stimulate rumen development and microbial population

Allow her to spend adequate time on the pre calving diet

Introduce her to passing through the

milking parlour before calving

Monitor head lock use if in place at the feed trough

New Calved Heifers

Step up nutrient intake slowly, stabilise the rumen, optimise dry matter intake and observe.

Lower feed intake if challenged. If competition exists, then she is less likely to compete at the feed trough, she will fatigue quicker, with weaker hind limbs. Dominant cows in heat will tend to pick on fresh and smaller cows.

Avoid overcrowding which leads to less rumination time.

Turn out, getting to grips with spring grassland management

Making more milk from grass will be essential to maintaining profit this coming year says Advanced Nutrition’s Adam Clay. Getting the sward management right early on will be key to maintaining grass quality throughout the season.

Good grassland management is a challenge; it’s about correct allocation, entry levels and residuals and managing the variables, the biggest one of course being the weather. How much? Spring grass is often dryer than you may think, so your cows should be able to achieve 2.2kg dry matter (DM) intake per hour. For example, a short period at grass when the weather allows may result in taking at least four litres from grass, or reducing the concentrate intake, not to mention the effect it will have on grass regrowth. In practice, if you aim for 5kg DM intake from grass at 20%DM, then your cows will need to eat 25kg fresh weight which is achievable in approximately three hours of good grazing. If grass DM drops to 15%, then your cows will need an extra 8kg fresh weight to achieve the same energy intake and that will take a great deal more time to graze. When to graze? Cows should be turned into a paddock, ideally when entry cover is approximately 2,800kgDM/ha, in simple terms that’s as high as a beer can, stood up - any brand! However, leaf emergence is based on temperature and growth doesn’t start to take off until soil temperature reaches an average 70C. Pull up a fist full of grass and you’ll find each plant will never have more than three viable leaves. As the season progresses, the plant grows more structural fibre, another leaf grows and the first dies off which decays in the base of the sward.

Consequently, in these early growth stages the grass plant may look immature when it is in fact actually ready for grazing. So don't be afraid to open the gate and send the cows in to a paddock even if it looks like there isn't much to graze; check if the plant has three leaves, if it does, graze it. Gateways and tracks, or lack of, tend to prevent early turnout. However if you can get the cows on to a field be careful not to cause excessive poaching as this can reduce grass growth rates by 30% to 50%. This is another reason to put cows to pasture for just a couple of hours each day while conditions remain wet. What and when to supplement & buffer? Grass is high in sugars and quickly degradable protein, so supplements should ideally be low in protein and higher in starch and fibre. As soon as over 2kg DM intake per hour is being achieved from grazed grass, supplementation should be reduced to an 18% protein concentrate. As growth progresses and grass offers more than 5kg DM intake per hour, drop back to a 16% protein concentrate. High levels of grass intake ideally require 14% protein concentrate, with a high percentage of bypass protein, to prevent excessive protein in the total diet which has shown to impact on both foot health and fertility performance. Maize silage is an ideal forage buffer, cereals are also very effective but be aware of rumen health. Although grass is high in protein, high yielding cows will require bypass protein to balance the quickly degradable protein supplied by the grass. It also pays to supplement with good quality digestible fibre such as sugar beet pulp. Although grass is high in fibre, oils coat these fibres in the rumen and encourage the grass to run through the rumen at high speed. Digestible fibre can help to bring a balance. Finally…….remember 1kg DM of grass silage will displace 1kg DM of grazed grass so don't be afraid to pull back on silage fed as a buffer to increase grass intakes.

Bonsilage also has the added benefit of making the fibre more digestible. The enzyme ceases to work once the pH has reached the target of 4.0. The resulting improved speed of fermentation reduces spoilage and retains more nutrients, it aids total digestibility in the rumen and enhances performance.

Bonsilage: Works across a wide dry matter range Completes fermentation faster – retaining more nutrients Improves silage palatability Improves animal performance Is a proven, tried and tested product

With the current pressure on your margins this spring, quality is one key step to making more from your forage. Help increase your forage quality by investing in Bonsilage this season.

James’ Jottings, feeding the springing heifer.

Rearing a replacement heifer to first calving is estimated to cost £1,000. Consequently she needs your attention; she and her stable mates are your herd’s future and life blood. 1 Targets First, set your targets for calving a heifer, scheduled to yield 8,000 litres in her first lactation

23 to 24 months of age

52 to 56 inch wither height

3.25 body condition score

570kg after calving Unless she reaches her post calving target weight, she will fail to reach yield potential. For example, a heifer 45kg below target weight will result in first lactation yield reduced by up to 270 litres. Remember, a heifer should achieve 85% of her mature body weight at calving. The transition heifer may need more energy

She is still growing

Her mammary gland is still growing

Increasing demands are being

made by her growing foetus and uterine tissues

It’s desirable to minimise loss of maternal tissues to support pregnancy and mammary growth 2 The challenges

A heifer’s dry matter intake will be 1.8kg per day lower than a cow’s

An obese heifer’s intake will be

1.2kg DM per day lower than a heifer in the correct condition

The energy density of the diet to meet

a heifer’s requirements is 25% higher than a cow’s

A low dry matter or energy intake can lead to poor immune function, mastitis, metritis, fat mobilisation, ketosis, displaced abomasums

3 Management

Maintain forage quality

Provide adequate feed trough space

Minimise cow competition

Introduce a diet to stimulate rumen development and microbial population

Allow her to spend adequate time on the pre calving diet

Introduce her to passing through the

milking parlour before calving

Monitor head lock use if in place at the feed trough

New Calved Heifers

Step up nutrient intake slowly, stabilise the rumen, optimise dry matter intake and observe.

Lower feed intake if challenged. If competition exists, then she is less likely to compete at the feed trough, she will fatigue quicker, with weaker hind limbs. Dominant cows in heat will tend to pick on fresh and smaller cows.

Avoid overcrowding which leads to less rumination time.

To discuss your requirements for Bonsilage please contact us using one of the methods below or speak to

Mark Gorst on 07880 794004

Are you getting the most from your forages? With costs increasing and margins tight, making more from your own forage will be high on your agenda this spring and summer. It’s high on our agenda too and a key part of our 360° approach.

Bacteria Growth (Doubling Time)

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Mil

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Hours

Strain 1

Strain 2

Strain 1 1 45 1998 89322 3992787 178482301 7978370264

Strain 2 1 28 765 21163 585370 16191549 447863923

0 4 8 12 16 20 24

Both bactertia are Lactobacillus Plantarum, strain 1 is the unique strain contained in Bonsilage developed by Lactosan in Austria

www.arn-ltd.com 0845 603 1911 office@arn-ltd.com

Advanced Nutrition has searched for a new approach to increase the potential from silage. We found ―Bonsilagé‖, checked its pedigree, reviewed the science, the evidence, the trial work and the findings. We even looked at the manufacturing process and talked with farmers that used it.

The name might be a bit unusual, simply French for ―Good Silage‖ but, ―it does what is says on the tin‖. Bonsilage is currently used on over 17 million tonnes of forage on the Continent. That’s a lot of proof the product works! Its aim is to accelerate the process of fermentation; it contains enzymes which provide the grass with 3% sugar in the clamp by breaking down some of the fibre structures in the grass. This feeds a unique and very prolific strain of lactic acid bacteria (see chart below), resulting in the bugs growing faster and reducing the pH over a shorter period of time.

Overseeding – boosting sward potential by Mark Gorst

Do you want to make sure you have sufficient grass silage in the pit at the end of this season for the coming winter? If the answer is yes, then think about developing a reseeding or overseeding plan in the next few weeks. Why? Because reseeding or overseeding will inject new life into existing swards and improve your forage’s quality – dry matter, ME and protein, if the correct mixtures are chosen. In return there are financial benefits; you’ll achieve more milk or liveweight gain from conserved or grazed grass.

Swards naturally deteriorate over time. In fact after five to six years, as little as 50% of the original sown grasses may remain in an average ley, see Figure 1. The remainder have been overtaken by natural grass species, which are less productive in terms of protein, energy and sugar.

If you decide to overseed, then yields could increase by 30% within the first year. The system involves scarifying and applying a quantity of seed to top up the existing sward. Overseeding subsequently helps to prevent the ingress of weeds that lead to sward decline in later years. If time and conditions permit, then species such as festulolium, hybrid or perennial tetraploid ryegrasses should be included in the mixture. To boost establishment, then consider using iSeed. iSeed is coated with essential nutrients making them immediately available for the seedling and subsequently helping establishment. The fertiliser, nitrogen and phosphate, feeds the seed and not the weed, consequently improvements in establishment of more than 50% can be achieved according to findings from extensive trials. Furthermore, seed mixtures with iSeed ensure that the fertiliser can be utilised up to four times more efficiently compared with broadcasting onto the seedbed, thereby bringing significant savings to the variable costs. This picture demonstrates a trial plot featuring iSeed planted to the left of the line and conventional seed planted to the right. Introducing an overseeding plan can help you to fill the pits with quality silage and minimise the risk of reduced silage crops, in particular second cut. Remember, the leys that produced good growth for second cut during the drought conditions in 2010 were those that were newly sown the previous year.

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100%

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natural

sown

Figure 1: Sward species content over a 20 year period

Output 20.5 kg lamb @ £3.92 per kg £80.36 Less mortality (2 lambs) £2.00

£78.36 Variable Costs 12.5 kg lambs milk replacer £20.00

69.7 kg lamb finisher pellets @ 19.8p/kg £13.80 Vet and medicine £2.00 Sundries (bedding, elec, tags etc) £3.00 GROSS MARGIN per lamb £39.56

Technical Performance Birthweight 4.1kg Weaning weight 19.7kg

Finishing weight 42.1kg

Days to weaning 36 days Days to slaughter 102 days Feed consumed after weaning 67.5kg Feed conversion after weaning 3.01

Feed cost per kg liveweight gain 54.2p Daily liveweight gain 373g Killing out % 48.7%

Finishing surplus lambs - profitably

Finishing foster lambs this coming season is likely to be a cost effective exercise. With market prices set to remain firm, then respectable gross margins are scheduled to be in the order of £40 per head. Advanced Nutrition reviewed an on farm trial last year rearing 80 Texel cross lambs artificially to target finishing weight and marketing them deadweight. After ensuring each lamb had received sufficient quality colostrum within the first six hours, they were introduced to a machine, fed milk replacer and also provided with access to lamb finisher pellets and clean water on an ad lib basis. Weaning was abrupt at around five weeks of age. Feed intakes and lamb weights were recorded – see below. They achieved target weight at an average 14.5 weeks and a DLG of 0.37kgs. While the system appeared to be expensive at approximately £40 per lamb, a figure that includes milk replacer, creep, vet and med, bedding, and electricity, the strong marketplace enabled us to achieve a gross margin of almost £40 a lamb. Good hygiene was critical to the system’s success.

www.arn-ltd.com 0845 603 1911 office@arn-ltd.com