It’s in the feed – unlocking the full potential of automated feeding systems
26 Jul 2021
Straw harvested with a bale system, cut to 5-7 cm or shorter (left) compared to straw processed additionally with a straw mill for very short cut (right). “For a 3 kg ration of straw, you might find a 1 kg of the bale system straw left over as waste; with the milled straw the waste is minimal,” says Weymann.
It’s no secret that digitalization and automation are already busy transforming dairy farming around the world. Farm and herd management via smartphone, tablet and agriculture apps has become commonplace. According to a German Bitkom study, 21% of dairy farms in Germany are already using milking robots today, with demand growing worldwide. And nearly 1 in 2 dairy farms in Germany are already using intelligent feeding systems. With good reason.
Automated feeding frees farmers from manual work so they can devote their time to farm management and optimizing their feeding strategy. They can target feeding by group, record and reference mixing times and feed intake, and make changes to feeding plans based on analysis of milk performance, animal health and costs, to name a few examples. Assisted with process controls and software, feeding can become not only more automatic, but also more systematic. Farmers can test, analyze and reproduce the most healthy, effective and sustainable feeding strategies. They can optimize rations down to the gram and improve feed intake through frequent feeding with less work and less waste.
Taste matters
But even the best automated system will be limited if the feed itself is not fresh, nutritious and otherwise appealing to the cow. Feeding might be automatic and carefully planned in terms of targeted, balanced content, but if the cow sorts the ration itself and leaves much of it uneaten, the whole system falters just short of the finish line.
“Automatic feeding systems are very powerful in their ability to save time, enhance food intake and deliver targeted feed, so if farmers invest in them, they’re going to notice benefits no matter what,” says Kenneth Arnswood, Senior Manager Market Support, GEA Farm Technologies. “But if they want to take full advantage of their feeding system, they should make sure they’re not compromising on the structure and quality of their feed.”
Roughage is the cow’s best friend
When it comes to producing quality feed, roughage is the place to start. The primary component of a dairy cow ration, good quality roughage is essential to keeping cows healthy and productive. It is also key to increasing profitability on a dairy farm. “Good silage starts with a good strategy and planning the roughage feed you want to use,” says Dr. Walter Weymann, Feeding Specialist and Technical Service Expert at GEA Farm Technologies. “The first question is, will you be able to grow all the crops you need yourself, or will you need to buy feed? Being self-sufficient has a positive impact on the profitability of a farm, and farmers should make a detailed plan with targets for the individual crops and stick to the plan.”
Regardless of which primary roughage is grown – grass or corn, for example – harvesting and silage preparation is an absolutely critical step in the process to ensure that cows are presented with attractive, nutrient dense feed throughout the year. A quick, effective harvest will have a positive impact on all subsequent steps of the feeding process: silage preparation in the silo, feed mixing, feed intake, selection of feed and amount of waste.
“Invest in the harvest! Experience shows that it pays to do it right from the start,” advises Arnswood. “If you don’t have the machinery yourself, you need to make sure, that your contractor has the right equipment to harvest in a way that matches your plan and your needs. Take the time to instruct them carefully on how you want it done.”
Not all grass is created equal
Grass is the natural feed for cows and, in most parts of the world, forms an important part of rations for dairy cows. “In terms of harvesting, at least two cuts are possible in most countries, with as many as five possible in some parts of the world,” says Weymann. “For dairy cows, the first and second cuts are generally considered the most important because of quality and quantity of these cuts offer.”
How the grass is cut also has a major impact on the quality and attractiveness of the feed. Harvesting with a bale machine, for example, results in long fibers, which makes the silage more difficult to handle with the feeding wagon. Harvesting with a loading wagon system, results in much shorter fibers that can be mixed easily. But according to Weymann, the best way to present grass silage to cows for a meal is to harvest using a harvester, which produces very short cut silage that is easiest to handle in the mixing system. Cutting the grass as short as possible also greatly reduces feed sorting by the cows.
Dr. Walter Weymann from GEA inspecting grass silage (mixed with alfalfa) at a customer farm in Germany. “Cows are like us: if the food looks good and smells good, they’ll want to eat it.”
“Dairy farmers should aim for 35-40% dry material (DM) with their grass, 21-23% cute fiber and a minimum of 15-18% cute protein. In terms of energy concentration, the standard in Germany is > 6.5 Mj NEL (net energy for lactation),” explains Weymann. “Timing the harvest is key to achieving these targets. Cut with sharp knives, spread the grass as quickly as possible and check DM to avoid loss of nutrients. We want to cut, harvest and store within about a 24-hour timeframe. Round bales are popular as feed, but feed quality can differ from bale to bale. Silage from a bunker will be more consistent.”
Corn is popping
Corn is gaining ground as a source of both roughage and starch for dairy cows. Progress in breeding corn seed over the last 25 years means that farmers who could not produce corn silage in the past are now able to do so in more varied geographies under a wider range of conditions. Harvesting with the shredlage method – for a coarser cut with longer fibers – also means corn can be used as a primary source of roughage and structure in countries where grass is less available.
Whether corn is harvested conventionally (short cut) or with the shredlage method, farmers should make sure the corn itself is broken down very well to help bacteria in the rumen extract the starch and other nutrients necessary for (milk) production. As with grass, short cut silage improves ease of mixing and intake. But for rations with little or no grass silage, longer fiber particles (shredlage) play an important role.
Corn shredlage (left) compared to conventionally harvested corn silage (right). Longer cut shredlage provides an important structural component when grass silage is limited or unavailable.
“The best corn silage has 30-35% dry material. Farmers should strive for at least 30% starch, which is influenced by the right choice of seed according to the climate, soil and conditions. In terms of energy concentration, 7 Mj NEL or more is achievable with a high starch level and by harvesting with longer stubble,” explains Weymann. “Avoiding oxygen exposure while in the bunker is critical, since we don’t want bacteria breaking it down before all the energy and nutrients actually get to the rumen of the cows.”
Get your (raw) fiber
To avoid low pH values in the rumen, a feed ration should always include a sufficient amount of structural feed to stimulate rumination and the associated saliva formation (with a pH value of 8 - 8.3, saliva performs an important buffer function in the rumen). Dairy farmers often use straw or, in some cases, older hay to increase the structural value in rations rich in concentrated feed. Here, too, harvesting is critical. If the straw (or hay) is cut too long, the cows start selecting. If it is shorter, it’s easier to handle, can be mixed very well and ultimately generates less waste.
Since straw quality has often been only moderate in recent years and supplies tight, many dairy cattle farms have turned to alfalfa hay as a structural component for their feed. “Alfalfa hay has a structural effect similar to straw, but has a significantly higher crude protein content,” says Arnswood. “Cows eat more when alfalfa is in the feed and they give more milk due alfalfa’s protein content, which is why alfalfa is being used more and more instead of straw.”
Mix and serve
Beyond roughage, there are many different feed options for farmers to consider based on what is naturally or commercially available to them. “I often say that cows are like us: they want and need a balanced diet with fresh, nutritious ingredients,” says Weymann, whose preferred meal for a dairy cow includes a number of components: grass silage, corn silage, alfalfa and/or straw for structure, a grain, such as wheat, for energy, an additional protein source, such as canola, and some supplemental vitamins and minerals. “If a farm can produce grain itself it should take advantage of this, whether it’s wheat, barley or rye,” says Weymann.
Another way to enhance both nutrition and cost effectiveness is with locally sourced byproducts from food or beverage processing. “Brewers’ grain is a great example of this,” says Weymann. “Sugar beet pulp is also very good feed for dairy cows.” The list goes on: potato waste from starch production processes, carrot pulp or apple pulp from juice production. “For any missing elements, a good premix can be tailored to a farm’s particular needs,” adds Weymann. Of course, once a nutritious, cost-effective feed mix has been planned and sourced, it’s no easy task to mix large volumes of feed on a daily basis in a way that consistently ensures the right proportions – another argument for an automated feeding system. “An automated system works best when it’s fed good food,” says Arnswood. “At the same time, good food works best when an automated system ensures the right mix, consistency and regularity.”
With locally sourced brewers’ grain, farm managers can enhance both nutrition for the herd and cost effectiveness.
From good to great
Optimum dairy feeding today involves a complex, coordinated effort across multiple areas – from choosing the right roughage and right seed, to good field work in the spring, to carefully planning and executing the harvest and storage of silage, choosing grains and proteins that make sense nutritionally and economically, and adding the right supplements and premix ingredients. Automated feeding can then make sure that a fresh, consistent, homogenous mix is targeted to different feed groups and served around the clock so that cows eat well, stay well and produce well throughout the year. “When all this comes together, that’s when farmers can unlock the full potential of their feed, the full potential of their automated feeding system, and, of course, the full potential of their dairy operation,” says Arnswood.
Cooking show for dairy farms
In our cooking show, feeding specialist Dr. Walter Weymann explains, how to prepare a balanced feed mix for dairy cows.
