Feed intake, quality, timing affect cows

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Managing feed intake, quality and timing on an organic farm can increase profitability, Joe Klein said.

Klein is the regional dairy pool manager for Organic Valley. Klein grew up on a dairy farm in eastern Iowa and owned and operated his own dairy farm.

Klein presented “Dairy farm profitability: Small things make a difference” Jan. 8 during the Minnesota Organic Conference at the River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud.

“Grazing is so important,” Klein said. “Get them out there at the right time of the day and get them back in when it’s hot. Get them under the fans or the sprinklers and feed them with (total mixed ration) or supplemental feed. Then (get them) back out to graze at night. That’s where I can keep my costs down.”

During the presentation, Klein covered three main topics for improvement: driving dry matter intake, forage quality and labor.

Since cows are prey animals, Klein said, in his experience, cows consume about 35% of their feed intake during dawn and dusk, or between 6 and 9 in the morning and at night.

“They’ll eat most of their diet in that little window, so having feed available then is a good thing,” Klein said. “Time in the parlor waiting without food and water, that’s going to hold me back. So, the minute I get them out of there, I want them to eat, because that’s my window.”

After eating, cows should lay down, he said.

“Cows love to be on a schedule,” Klein said. “We don’t want stress on these cows; keep that stress level down.”

To keep feed available, Klein suggests using a broom, automatic feed pusher, or even a blade on a lawn mower or tractor, to push up the feed. This can help stimulate the cows to eat and drive DMI.

Cow comfort also is something to keep in mind, Klein said.

“They’ve got to eat when they need to eat and then they’ve got to lie down,” he said. “Cows need to lie down at least 10 hours a day. That’s how they make milk physically.”

Klein encourages farmers to look at their operations and see how they can maximize their feed intake.

“The more feed that I get into my dairy cows, the more profit I’m going to get on the other end,” Klein said. “(Feed intake) was my No. 1 limiting factor (on my farm).”

Managing the bunk and having available feed helps drive DMI, Klein said. Having an empty bunk can cut into a farm’s margin and does not give cows the ability to increase DMI.

“Our margins are going to get much better if we drive feed availability,” Klein said. “That’s a big thing, having feed available when the cows want to eat it.”

Forage quality and the timing of harvest are other management areas Klein recommends keeping in mind. The University of Wisconsin and Iowa State University have created a relative feed value chart called Predictive Equations of Alfalfa Quality. Farmers should keep in mind that the PEAQ only works with the first crop, Klein said.

He said that this is a very useful tool for dairy farmers to put up the best quality forage.

“First crop is your most important crop; this is your biggest crop,” Klein said.

Klein recommends harvesting alfalfa between 27-28 inches from the soil surface to the stem tip. Based on the chart, this means the relative feed value ranges from 154 to 175, depending on the stage of the most mature stem.

Klein said he recommends haylage be harvested by a custom operator or collaboratively with neighbors if labor and time are a challenge.

“Quality of the product that you’re putting in is going to get that much better,” Klein said. “A lot of organic farmers like to work together, and it’s kind of heartwarming.”