Feeding Dairy Cows by Riley

 

                                                           
Dairy Farm Pastures

The process of feeding dairy cows in New Zealand is slightly different from how dairy cows are fed in the United States. In the U.S., dairy cows are fed pasture but also given supplemental silage or hay to meet their nutrient requirements. In New Zealand, dairy cows are largely fed only pasture to meet their nutrient requirements. 

How is New Zealand successfully producing enough milk to meet its demands? Are their cows getting less nutrients than ours? The answer is: These people have got milk production figured out. Their cows are a mix of the Holstein and Jersey breeds. The Holstein side brings the high milk production volume into the gene pool. The Jersey side brings the smaller frame size and higher milk solids (which determines the price dairy farmers get for their milk). When these two breeds are crossbred effectively, the offspring becomes a small cow who's production favors milk fat and protein. This hybrid breed (called the Kiwi Cow) will not produce as much milk as a purebred Holstein, but the milk solids yield will be proportionally higher.  

At the Lincoln Demo Dairy Farm there are 540 cows, 160 hectares, and approximately 4.5 stock units per hectare. The number of cows they have is the maximum number they can have to utilize all 160 hectares. All the cows graze in a rotational grazing system. Less supplements are needed because the fields are given time to recuperate. This means there is little-to-no supplemental feed cost in caring for these cows. Since cows graze and do not need their food brought to them (like in the U.S.), labor cost also decreases dramatically. With that cost taken out of the total margin, more focus can be put into efficiency of producing milk. More time  can be put into picking breeding stock, measuring which cows are producing more and which are not producing enough, or identifying how to reduce nitrate in the soil.

In the winter season, cows are fed mostly kale or fodder beet. These crops are grown specifically for the winter when pasture may be scarce. This is the only time the cows may not  be on a full grass-pasture diet, however these winter crops are still grazed. This way of farming dairy cows is efficient and has a high production volume. I think it could be better than the way dairy farming occurs in the U.S.

Riley Browning

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