Options to help close a fodder gap:
1. Agronomic strategies to increase home-grown forage
A critical determinant of drought survival will be rapid return to as much pasture in
the diet as possible. Many farmers will have rain as seasonal outlook is strengthening.
Optimising home-grown forage options is likely to:
 Be more cost effective and profitable than purchased feed
 Reduce pressure on internal inventory
 Be nutritionally superior
 Reduce pressure on overall supply
Each shift of 1 tonne DM of purchased to home grown feed should represent a saving
of $100-200 per tonne and an improved quality on most purchased forage sources
Responses to agronomic strategies will be linked to rainfall.
Cashflow on many farms will be key issue. Many farmers may need coaching on key
spend and best/most cost effective and rapid response
Need to consider risk management and promote a “portfolio approach” ie. Spread the
risk
Many perennial pastures will have died or be severely thinned
Making the most from moisture
 Plant aggressively as opportunity arises- waiting till conditions are perfect will
miss early opportunities- sow a little more on each rain event to manage risk- once
moisture profile is full sow everything
 Consider sowing additional dryland areas if available- can be used as pasture early
and diverted to stored feed if season appropriate
 Soil test and apply nutrient accordingly
 Fertilise- hold nitrogen inventory on farm to pick up rain as it falls
 Timing is everything. Keep “rolling the dice” on each rainfall eventDon’t put all
your eggs in one basket - a “portfolio approach” to pastures is essential.
Irrigation entitlements uncertain:
 Use of short season crop with rapid winter growth  transition to high WUE
summer crop
 Use of longer season pasture/crop to capitalise if season is good and optimise
spring WUE
 Match crop with security of paddocks
Look at sowing options that increase early feed cost effectively.
Consider oversowing increased areas of permanent pastures to improve water and
fertility responses in event of some irrigation
Carefully review merits of sowing perennial species/cultivars due to slowness to first
grazing, low early season yield and risk of reduced summer water allocations
Sow dryland areas for forage crop or winter pasture
Increasing early growth:
 Co-plant with cereals to increase early feed production on late plantings
 Use cultivars/species with rapid early growth as part of portfolio approach
 Increasing planting rates to promote early plant density - doubling rates of
ryegrass seed can produce extra feed for <$100 a tonne dry matter



Plant early as possible if moisture allows – two week delay can reduce winter
yield by 30-70%
Strategically use nitrogen to boost winter forage and improve returns from
moisture and seed
o 5-10kgs DM/kg N applied (possibly higher in newer, high density
pastures)
o Even at $750 a tonne Urea, and a winter response of 5kgs dry matter per
kg nitrogen (low end of expected range), the cost of the extra feed is 32
cents / kg DM – still favourable compared to purchased supplements
o Many farmers are still using N application rates that are well below
optimal
Soil test to screen for other key nutrients
o Many will have accumulated nutrient due to crop failure, feeding out or
natural breakdown
o Others may have been depleted due to cashflow failure
Manage pastures for survival and yield
 Quantity far more limiting than quality on most farms until early spring at least
 The key to pasture yield early in the season is not what you take off a paddock, it
is what you leave on it!
 Target residuals of at least 1400kg dm/ha or at least 5cm through winter. Grazing
at higher than normal pre and post grazing heights will help increase daily NDF
intakes. Let pastures grow and farm for residuals
 Back-fence
Need to consider possible pasture toxicity problems, especially nitrate toxicity.
(Others - oat sickness, grass tetany, bloat, ruminal acidosis
Appropriate preventive strategies include:
 Nitrate testing- soil/plant
 Test grazing
 Slow introduction of hungry stock
 Monitoring
Key messages:
 If farmers are lucky enough to have pasture options, they should manage
wisely!Make the most from moisture - rapid and anticipatory response to rain is
critical
 Nitrogen application is good value. Don’t be put off by increased urea prices.
 Quantity is far more limiting than quality on most farms until early spring at least.
Let pastures grow and farm for residuals. A “portfolio approach” to pastures is
essential
2. Feeding strategies to stretch out existing fodder reserves
High NDF / low starch by-products such as Palm Kernel Meal (PKE) should be
considered as a forage substitute rather than a grain/concentrate substitute – ie.
“forage extenders”.
Advantages of “forage extenders”:
 Are useful inclusions in late lactation diets (less suitable for fresh cow / early
lactation diets. Also easily fed to dry cow and heifers
 Low in starch, so don’t contribute to ruminal acidosis
 Flexible. Can generally be fed ad lib. Can be easily fed out (hayshed to front-end
loader to trough), or incorporated in grain/concentrate rations
Challenges in using “forage extenders”:
 Have a very small particle size, so they don’t provide physically effective fibre
and don’t obey NDF intake rule of thumb (intake = 1.2% of bodyweight as NDF).
Despite this, they contribute chemical NDF which can help you get away with a
high risk Forage / Concentrate ratio
 Consistency of supply eg. PKE
 Feed specifications for each product are not readily available and may vary
considerably depending on their source and the level of control over the
manufacturing process.
 PKE’s estimated Metab. Energy by chemical analysis are probably overestimated.
 DDG’s protein content is poorly available
 Mycotoxins can be a problem if weather changes
 Are more difficult to make work in a diet as the quality of the forage used declines
 Cost per unit energy and protein
The nutritional specs. of forage extenders products vary. Useful to rate feeds low,
moderate, high in terms of digestability and effective fibre level, as well as quote DM,
ME, CP, NDF and ADF values. Maximum feeding levels may also be limited by
animal health concerns or chemical residue concerns.
There is very little scope for feed manufacturers to supply low starch / high fibre
concentrates for feeding in the bail or paddock - suitable by-products are being fully
utilised and long fibre sources cannot be used by most mills.
Wheat is the easiest grain for home mixers to buy. Other grains are very difficult to
source.
Management practices to reduce forage wastage rates:
 Even the best feeding management system will result in a 5% forage wastage rate.
Feeding on the ground in the paddock can result in wastage rates in excess of 20%
 Try to keep as much forage in rings and troughs as possible to minimise wastage
Key messages:
 Forage extenders substitute for forage (fibre), not grain/concentrates (starch and
sugars)forage extender products have supply challenges“Oils aint oils” – the
nutritional specs. of forage extenders products varyWhen considering forage
extender products, bear in mind their digestibility and effective fibre levelWheat is
a great feed that is easy to buy – learn to use it safely and maximize the benefit
from itWastage of fodder is unacceptable under the current circumstances, yet on
some farms, > 20% of fodder is wasted
3. Strategies to reduce animal demand for fodder
Priority should always be given to the fresh cows / early lactation cows.
Options include
 Cull empty cows
 Dry stale milkers off
 Agist heifers
Dry cows can’t be allowed to lose excess body condition. Young stock cant be
allowed to suffer severe growth checks or suffer lameness / other problems which
compromise their value as herd replacements.
If not economic to continue to run heifers at 30% replacement rate, can this be wound
back?
Feeding grain/concentrates to dry cows and young stock is an option that many
farmers should use (even in the bale between milkings if convenient)
Culling cows – first choice is empty cows, then low producers. Option to milk cows
longer should also be explored. Must always bear in mind the future impacts of
culling decisions on the farm business.
May be worth exploring agistment options. Eg. Park heifers in Mallee on wheat crop.
Farmers need to appreciate that the nutritional requirements of dry cows go beyond
just maintenance. Must also factor in nutrients for foetal growth and udder
development.
Farmers need to understand daily Dry matter requirements and ME requirements of
all the different classes of animal (Look-up table)
Key messages:
 Be conscious of future impacts of culling decisions on the farm business
 Consider culling and early dry off if forage reserves are short
 Don’t drop the ball through the dry period. Is an opportunity to feed dry cows
some grain (through the dairy if necessary)
 Look for any agistment options
Day-to-day feeding management
The principle should be get as close to a TMR system as is reasonably possible – little
feeds often throughout the 24 hours of the day to maintain a stable rumen
environment.
If you have a mixer wagon, the focus is on managing wastage and juggling different
feedstuffs.
If you don’t have a mixer wagon, then a key focus should be the timing of feeds.
Make sure cows get to forage quickly after consuming grain/concentrate in the bale.
Avoid holding cows back after milking.
Try to maintain a routine that cows get used to – cows don’t like surprises
Ensure adequate feed and water space. Rings and troughs.
Fresh cows / early lactation cows are the highest priority. Is difficult for split calvers
to manage these animals ideally without running two groups.
Key messages:
 Timing of feeds is important to maintaining as stable a rumen as possible
 Maintain a daily routine
 Give priority to fresh cows / early lactation cows