How to get the most from feeding concentrates at grass

Liam Stack, M.Agr.Sc

Ruminant Technical Manager

There is a balancing act that must be done by farmers when feeding concentrates at grass to the dairy herd. Farmers need to ensure firstly that cows are getting enough energy to meet their daily breeding and milk production demands while also keeping up to the grass growth and take advantage of the cheapest form of feed as much as possible.

There are two differing grass scenarios at present:

1. Surplus grass, struggling to keep pace with growth
2. Heading towards the 2^nd round with insufficient re-growth

Surplus grass, struggling to keep pace with growth

1. If proteins are poor, concentrate feeding must be maintained to meet the cow’s energy demand

• Ensure you’re not overestimating grass intake
• Milk cows with BCS of >2.75 OAD while holding concentrate feeding levels

2. If proteins are good and your grass graze out is good, hold concentrate feeding levels constant

3. If proteins are good but grass graze out is poor:

• Consider increasing grazing pressure by closing more ground up for 1^st cut
• Alternatively, farmers could use this time to reseed grazing ground

Heading towards the 2nd round with insufficient re-growth

Lower grass demand by:

• Increasing concentrate feeding levels
• Buffer feeding with silage and concentrates
• Consider short term grazing of ground closed off for 1^st cut