Dairy farmers are set for a difficult six months as milk prices look set to fall again. However, producers are being advised to explore feeding options and consider the role of liquids fully before making hasty cost-saving decisions.

“A reduction in milk price often sees farmers scrutinise current practices in order to cut costs wherever possible. And when purchased feed is one of, if not, the largest variable cost on a unit, it’s often the first to be analysed,” acknowledges Trident Technical Manager Dr Michael Marsden.

“Farmers should be looking to make the most from home grown forages, but will have to consider the implications of silages not performing as well as initially expected,” states Dr Marsden.

Whilst farmers have, in many instances, produced substantial crops of silage, Dr Marsden notes that silage analysis results are showing a combination of low dry matter, low ME and reduced intake factors.

“Farmers may be tempted to rely on forages to cut costs, but this approach can be counterproductive as potential drops in milk yield and quality will still impact the bottom line.

“Producers should continue to strive to meet the cow’s nutritional requirements, and as a result should be considering all of the available feed options to maintain production levels.”

In order to utilise forages, Dr Marsden acknowledges that liquids have an important role in the ration. “The inclusion of a distillery liquid, such as Spey Syrup, will drive intakes and improve rumen protein production, and will ultimately reduce ration sorting,” asserts Dr Marsden.

“Distillery liquids provide a cost effective source of fermentable energy and protein and can balance rapidly digestible energy sources such as cereals, which is particularly pertinent given current cereal prices.”

It’s also well known that distillery products contain high levels of yeast fragments which have been proven to stimulate microbial activity leading to increased digestion. “What’s more, the ease of including a liquid within a forage diet makes them a very handy choice this winter,” concludes Dr Marsden.