thursday,august23,2012 molasses ... · betop-dressedonforages, mixedwithdryfeedsorfed...
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User:martinoriordanDate:21/08/2012Time:14:31:56Edition:23/08/2012FarmingFX2308Page:16Color:
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012 1716 THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012 COMMERCIAL FEATURE COMMERCIAL FEATURE■ Molasses: The high palatability of molasses feeds makes them ideal supplements for poor quality hay and silages, by increasing intakes and enhancing their nutritive value
‘‘Molasses liquid feedsare very flexible-they canbe top-dressed on forages,mixed with dry feeds or fedin a diet feeder as part of theTMR. They can also befed free access through lickwheel/ball feeders.
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Contented Cattle
For more technical data on liquid feedsavailability, delivery terms etc please contact
your local co-op/merchant orPremier Molasses. Tel: 069-65311 or visitour website www.premiermolasses.ie
Molasses liquidfeeds, a costeffective andreliable solutionto forageproblems onIrish farmsBy Brian Campion M.Agr.Sc.
The poor weatherconditions duringthe silage seasonwill have a majorimpact on foragequality and quanti-
ty this next winter and spring.A recent Teagasc surveyshowed that one third of dairyand more than 15pc of beeffarms are facing a shortage ofwinter feed.Dry matter (DM) and di-
gestibility (DMD) values ofsilages will be low with accom-panying losses due to poorpreservation and soil contami-nation. In addition cereal andprotein ingredients priceshave increased significantly socompound feeds will be moreexpensive so most farmersneed to examine their feed op-tions.The area sown to cereals this
year is estimated to have in-creased by almost 40,000 acres,so straw may be the most plen-tiful forage source available.When used in combinationwith silage and molasses liq-uids, a cost effective solutionto the fodder problems can beachieved.Molasses liquids are now
very competitive in price. Thehigh palatability of molassesfeeds makes them ideal supple-ments for poor quality hay andsilages, by increasing DM in-takes and enhancing their nu-tritive value. Liquid feeds arethe ideal complement to totalmixed ration (TMR) diets; aswell as supplying energy andprotein, liquid feeds uniquephysical characteristics facili-tate in binding the TMR anddistributing nutrients evenlyto ensure safe and uniformconsumption.Premier Molasses ingredi-
ents include sugar cane mo-lasses (energy), condensed mo-
lasses solubles (protein), wheyconcentrate (energy) and glyc-erine (energy). We are able tooffer high quality blendswhich provide flexible energyand protein levels and han-dling characteristics suitablefor dairy cows, beef cattle,sheep, pigs and horses.
New Xtra Range-SpecialOffer for September!These products contain the
unique technology of VéO corewhich in combination with
molasses has shown a syner-gistic effect in increasing vol-untary forage intake. VéO coreworks by stimulating the cow’ssenses to increase appetite andreduce stress levels.For September only, Premier
Molasses is including VéOcore in all its farm liquid feedsat no extra cost!
Feeding GuidelinesMolasses liquid feeds are
very flexible-they can be top-dressed on forages, mixed with
dry feeds or fed in a diet feederas part of the TMR. They canalso be fed free access throughlick wheel/ball feeders.
Dairy cows: Up to 3kg (nor-mal 1-2kg) per head per day or15% of the total diet mix
Beef cattle: Up to 2.5kg (nor-mal 1-2kg) per head per day or15% of the total diet mix
Young cattle: Up to 1.5kg or5% of the total diet mix
Sheep: Lambs 10% of diet(0.3kg per head per day) andewes 15% of diet (0.6kg perhead per day)
Diets tostretchyoursilageDairy CowsTable 2 shows the options
available for dry cow diets,offering the best opportunityto stretch silage supplies byincorporating molasses liquidsand straw. The optimum bodycondition score (BCS) at calv-ing is 3.25 and in order toachieve this a 12 week dryperiod is required if cows areat 2.5 BCS at drying off. Cowsshould be fed to requirementsin late lactation to ensure cor-rect BCS at drying off. Cowswill need to gain 0.75 BCS (37.5kg) over the period or 9.6 UFL(unit of energy) per day.Silage digestibility (DMD)
values are likely to be veryvariable and in the low 60%s.Up to 50% of the silage can bereplaced with molasses liquidsand straw. The table (left)shows the options available fordry dairy cow diets for a 12week dry period.Options A and B can replace
up to half of the silage require-ments with straw and a mo-lasses liquid and still set cowsup for a smooth transition tolactation.
Suckler Cows & WeanlingsTable 1 gives some examples
of suitable diets. Spring calv-ing suckler cows need to havea BCS of 2.5 at calving andhave lower energy require-ments than dairy cows. How-ever with poor quality silage,their intakes will be reduced toabout 7.5 kg DM. A typical cowwill eat approx. 6 tonnes ofsilage DM over a 5 month win-ter.If cows are in good BCS
(~3.0), they can tolerate an en-ergy deficit and most or all ofthis silage can be replaced by astraw/molasses diet.
Beef CattleIn finishing cattle, energy is
the most important nutrientand maximising DM intake isthe key to optimum perfor-mance. Cane Molasses and Nu-
tri-Thrive are ideally suited toinclusion in finishing dietsdue to their high energy densi-ty, improvement in DM in-takes and excellent palatabili-ty.
‘‘Molasses liquids are now verycompetitive in price. Highpalatability of molasses feedsmakes them ideal supplementsfor poor quality hay and silages,by increasing DM intakes andenhancing nutritive value.
‘‘
AvailabilityMolasses feeds are available inbulk deliveries (10-28 tonnes)nationwide, and in IBCs (minibulk tank of approx. 1.25tonnes). Feeds can be safelystored in vented waterprooftanks for up to 6 months.
Richard Bourns and hisfamily operate asubstantial beef finishingenterprise at Lisbeg farmnear Eyrecourt in EastGalway.A mixer wagon is used tofeed a TMR diet and theingredients which includemolasses are purchasedfrom Liffey Mills. Richardhas been “using
molasses for over 20years and finds it goodvalue for money. It alsoimproves the palatabilityand prevents otheringredients fromseparating out of themix.” Richard “plans touse more straw in theTMR diet this winterprovided the quality isgood”.
Happy HolsteinsDairygold milk supplierNoel Crowley and hisfamily have an awardwinning Holstein herd ofspring calving cows on alimited land base nearCoppeen in West Cork.The TMR diet includesgrass/maize silage,straw and a molassesliquid feed from BarrettAgri. Noel has been
“using molasses basedBarrett Sugar Pro Liqui30 for over three yearsand finds it good value”.His cows average over1700 gallons at 3.9%butterfat and 3.46%protein so nutrition isobviously first class
.
FEATURED PRODUCTS
Adding molasses is a great way to improve palatability and DM intakes.
These user friendly IBC bulk tanks hold 1.25 tonnes ofMolasses
Nationwide delivery from our depots in Cork, Limerick and Belfast.
Diet Spec Diet C Diet D Diet E Autumn Calving Weanlings
Grass Silage (62 DMD).....7 kg DM.......— ..............3 kg DM.... 7 kg DM................ 3 kg DMStraw ...............................— ................6 kg DM .....3 kg DM....—......................... 2 kg DMHi-Pro 50 .........................2 kg DM.......4 kg DM .....3 kg DM....—......................... 2.5 kg DMNutri-Thrive .....................— ................— ..............— ............. 4 kg DM................—Energy Target...................7.5 UFL ........7.5 UFL ......7.5 UFL ..... 9.0 UFL................. 4.5-6.0 UFLEnergy Intake...................6.5 UFL ........6.2 UFL ......6 UFL ........ 9.2 UFL................. 5.1 UFL
Deficit of 1.5 UFL tolerable if cows in good BCS & followed by good grazing conditions nextspring. If cow BCS is poor (