ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2022 19 and kg of milk solids per unit of carbon dioxide output or greenhouse gas generated. Of course, herds are comprised of individual cows and when calculating feed efficiency for a dairy herd, there can be different efficiency values for cows of different ages or in different lactation stages, so these herd characteristics should be considered. How much can dietary changes improve feed efficiency? Researchers at Ohio State University found dietary changes can boost the amount of milk cows produce during the lactation period. Changing elements in the diet to improve herd feed efficiency from 1.3 kg milk/kg dry matter to 1.5, lowers the amount of dry matter cows need to consume to produce a certain amount of milk. From an income perspective, this can result in a significant increase in income over feed cost. As the feed efficiency of lactating cows can vary from <1.3 to >2.0, both income over feed costs and the environmental footprint can vary widely between dairy farms. What are some factors influencing dairy cows’ feed efficiency? A long list of factors can influence efficiency, but the four main ones are: ingredient digestibility which relates to feed quality, a cow’s days in milk as herds can become less efficient during the second half of lactation, somatic cell count because poor udder health can reduce milk yields and, rumen acidosis which affects digestion and impedes feed passage. Among these factors, ingredient digestibility stands out as an opportunity to influence rumen performance and subsequently economics and environmental stewardship. Even the best breeding and management practices will not deliver the benefits if a cow’s rumen function is not operating at an optimal level. Here is where dietary tweaking can help. Smart minerals, smart nutrition, smart decision Increasing feed efficiency of dairy cows means more milk is being produced out of the same amount of feed. For optimal performance, cows need a healthy rumen that digests fibre efficiently. Peer reviewed research shows that completely replacing sulphates with IntelliBond improves fibre digestibility and can increase milk production. healthylife.trouwnutrition.com Ask your nutritionist about the benefits of switching to a diet 100% free from sulphate trace minerals At last a trace mineral source that improves digestibility!
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