Grass breeder Barenbrug is encouraging farmers to adopt a more holistic approach to on-farm feed management, recognising that home-produced feed will always be more beneficial to the bottom line. Janet Montgomery, Agriculture Product Manager, explains the concept.

 

Farmers have always had to juggle numerous tasks while mitigating the effects of external factors beyond their control.

Grass has been the cornerstone of many farming systems, supporting livestock enterprises ranging from beef and sheep to dairy to diversified operations. Farming today demands a strategic, data-driven approach to optimise returns and sustainability.

 

 

Rethinking Grass Management

Farmers must move beyond the ‘one size fits all’ grass strategies of the past. Modern farming, shaped by economic and environmental pressures, calls for bespoke solutions tailored to the unique needs of each enterprise. This is where the concept of Farm Fodder Flow comes into play.

Put simply, Farm Fodder Flow is about matching the farm’s productive capacity to the nutritional requirements of livestock through planning, assessment, and projections. It ensures the efficient use of home-produced feed, reducing reliance on purchased concentrates, while improving productivity.

Done well, it can also optimise labour requirements and provide higher-quality feed throughout the year, benefiting both the animals and the farm’s bottom line.

 

First Steps

Consider it a return to basics: what are your production goals? Are they sufficient? Where or how do you need to make changes? For livestock farmers, these goals might pertain to litres of milk, kilos of beef, lambs sold, or other measures relevant to the enterprise.

For example:

• In a dairy system, how many days a year produce milk? What is the average production per cow?

• Beef farmers may aim for specific weight gains or finishing times.
• Sheep farmers might focus on lambing percentages or faster turnaround times for market-ready lambs.
• Mixed enterprises should account for goals across all activities.

By assessing these goals, farmers can gain a clear understanding of their annual production targets and the feed demands of their livestock throughout the year.

 

These graph curves are an example specific to an all-year round calving dairy system.

 

Supply and Demand

The next step is evaluating whether the available grass and forages meet the farm’s feed demand. Do your peaks in supply align with the nutritional needs of your livestock?

Most farms will identify a mismatch between the supply curve and the demand curve. Common strategies to address this include making silage or hay to bridge the feed gap during low-growth periods. However, Farm Fodder Flow takes this a step further by exploring ways to optimise both the quantity and quality of feed.

 

Improving the Flow

Adjusting the way silage is produced can make a significant difference. For instance, moving from a two-cut system to a four-cut system can improve the nutritional quality of silage, resulting in better feed conversion rates. Livestock fed on higher-quality silage often exhibit improved weight gain, milk yield, or overall performance.

Even without major changes to cutting schedules, practices such as grass indexing can help identify fields that need reseeding or maintenance, maximising the efficiency of the most productive areas.

 

 

Explore Alternatives

Don’t hesitate to consider alternatives to traditional silage. Short rotation crops like winter brassicas, Italian ryegrass, or forage rape can provide flexibility and a different nutritional profile. These crops are especially valuable as break crops in grass rotations, helping to manage weeds, improve soil health, and support long-term productivity goals.

 

A New Mindset

Farm Fodder Flow represents a shift in mindset. It’s not about wholesale changes but rather about refining and optimising current practices. By prioritising home-grown feed and recognising its superior nutritional and economic value, farmers can build more resilient and profitable systems.

This holistic approach empowers farmers to balance the demands of their enterprises with the resources available, ensuring sustainability and success in an ever-changing agricultural landscape.