{"id":1147,"date":"2018-09-01T13:43:15","date_gmt":"2018-09-01T13:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/genus-develop.go-vip.co\/promar-de\/?p=1147"},"modified":"2023-10-18T15:59:13","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T15:59:13","slug":"plan-ahead-to-avoid-an-empty-clamp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/plan-ahead-to-avoid-an-empty-clamp\/","title":{"rendered":"Plan ahead to avoid an empty clamp"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Sue Bryan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of this year\u2019s difficult weather conditions, dairy farmers are encouraged to review their current feedstocks and consider winter requirements, to help them plan ahead and avoid costly panic buying, or an empty clamp situation. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFarmers have faced a particularly tough year so far, and many are already feeding their first cut silages,\u201d explains Sue Bryan, consultant at Promar International. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis will undoubtedly increase pressure on feedstocks as we move towards the housed period. However, it\u2019s important not to panic buy until you fully understand your situation,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, you should work to establish exactly what you have in the store, and what your requirements may be going forwards.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sue notes that it is not just a case of establishing clamp measurements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnderstanding your dry matter (DM) content is also vital, as this has a major impact on the feed-out of the clamp,\u201d she explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe higher the DM, the higher the nutrient content, and therefore the longer the forage is likely to last, provided it\u2019s kept from heating.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClamp compaction is also affected by the DM, so it\u2019s important not to make a judgment based purely by eye. There is a predicted difference in tonnes of around 20% between a 20%DM and 32%DM clamp, which is an amount that producers can\u2019t afford to be out by this year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once producers have identified current stock levels, the next step should be to identify the on-farm demand from now until estimated spring turnout, including buffer feeding expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLogically plan your dairy cow autumn buffer, and full winter rations, followed by dry cows, and youngstock. After determining these figures, you can then decide how to tackle any potential feed deficits.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing shortfalls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sue highlights that there is still an opportunity for farmers to take an additional cut in September, which may help to relieve some of the pressure on forage stocks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe soil is warm, the nitrogen is raring to go, but the sunlight hours are dipping so growth won\u2019t be at the same level as first cut. It\u2019s therefore critical that farmers are realistic about potential yields,\u201d she notes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor this reason, after establishing how a final cut will help balance your forage requirements, there are a number of steps that you can take to help to ensure that sufficient forage is available.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Remove some animals from the enterprise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With forage reserves tight, Sue recommends questioning the true value of keeping surplus heifers, as well as considering any margins you want to make on store sheep and beef. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, a barren cow would require 12-15 tonnes of silage (fresh weight) between September 2018 and April 2019. With silage currently costing around \u00a340 per tonne in some areas, this means that it\u2019ll cost \u00a3600 to over winter her,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSimilarly, store beef bought in at 350kg will require around 11.5-12 tonnes of silage over winter. This equates to around \u00a3470 per animal, which will undoubtably have an impact on final margins.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s therefore important that producers think about the feasibility of holding onto any surplus stock, and consider whether the final margin can justify the purchase of any additional feed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reduce wastage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Aerobic loss from allowing the clamp to heat can be a big drain on forage reserves due to reduced energy content and should be minimised where possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen the clamp heats up, it reduces the energy content of your silage, meaning that you\u2019ll need to bolster your ration with additional concentrate,\u201d explains Sue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis often leads to low energy substitutes being purchased to \u2018bulk out\u2019 the diet, which will have a significant impact on the farm\u2019s bottom line.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, a bucket of lost silage each day of the winter is worth \u00a35,000 in today\u2019s market, without the additional cost of top-up feed. It\u2019s therefore important to keep the clamp film as close to the shear grab cut as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increase supply<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCatch crops have been popular in recent years, with forage rape and stubble turnips having a similar feed rate of 40-45kg\/cow\/day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough yields will be variable, and fibre normally needs supplementing in the form of baled silage, the extended period before housing will help to ease some pressures this year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy in alternatives <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Buying in alternatives should be the final consideration, after on-farm methods have been explored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen considering alternatives, it\u2019s important to base your decision on whether the alternative is suitable for the animals\u2019 performance, considering milk constituents as well as yield, feasibility and practicalities,\u201d explains Sue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy acting now, and identifying your requirements for the year ahead, you can ensure that you have sufficient forage to last the winter without joining the current buying frenzy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sue Bryan In light of this year\u2019s difficult weather conditions, dairy farmers are encouraged to review their current feedstocks and consider winter requirements, to help them plan ahead and avoid costly panic buying, or an empty clamp situation. \u201cFarmers have faced a particularly tough year so far, and many are already feeding their first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":199,"featured_media":12619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"abs_type":[7],"pro_group":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPlan ahead to avoid an empty clamp - Promar Germany DEV<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/plan-ahead-to-avoid-an-empty-clamp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Plan ahead to avoid an empty clamp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Sue Bryan In light of this year\u2019s difficult weather conditions, dairy farmers are encouraged to review their current feedstocks and consider winter requirements, to help them plan ahead and avoid costly panic buying, or an empty clamp situation. \u201cFarmers have faced a particularly tough year so far, and many are already feeding their first […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/plan-ahead-to-avoid-an-empty-clamp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Promar Germany DEV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-09-01T13:43:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-18T15:59:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/89\/2018\/09\/RS8742_C59A1506-sml-1.jpg?fit=942%2C628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"942\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sue Bryan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sue Bryan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/plan-ahead-to-avoid-an-empty-clamp\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/plan-ahead-to-avoid-an-empty-clamp\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sue Bryan\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/#\/schema\/person\/dda908a15c6340bcbfbc01e0b919e75b\"},\"headline\":\"Plan ahead to avoid an empty clamp\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-09-01T13:43:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-18T15:59:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/plan-ahead-to-avoid-an-empty-clamp\/\"},\"wordCount\":795,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Farm Profitability\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/plan-ahead-to-avoid-an-empty-clamp\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www-dev.promar-international.com\/de\/plan-ahead-to-avoid-an-empty-clamp\/\",\"name\":\"Plan ahead to avoid an empty clamp - 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