The dairy cow’s ability to produce more milk is dependent on the quality of the ration and how much she consumes of it. We have made great strides in improving forage quality, ration formulation and cow comfort. Ration modeling programs (CNCPS) use information from multiple sources to predict cow performance. Improvements in these programs make it imperative that we have accurate inputs to get our expected predictions. However, one of the most obvious and overlooked is the cow itself and her environment.
Dry matter intake and rate of passage are calculated based on the cow’s body weight and milk production. Forage quality also impacts these numbers, but forage laboratories provide us with accurate evaluations of their contribution. Most of us are guilty of using default body weights for all groups of dairy cattle. However, correct weights will lead to more accurate production predictions (milk and/or growth). This can impact ration formulation. The amount of starch needed in a ration may change due to rate of passage differences. This may allow us to confidently fine tune a ration with lower MUN levels.
The stage of lactation also affects intake. Are we describing our pens of cows correctly? Fresh pens can change dramatically in days in milk and production. Body weight loss can be used to predict energy needs of these cows. Up-to-date days in milk, milk weights, and body condition scores in all pens allow our ration programs to assist us in producing the correct ration. Even a one-group TMR herd will still benefit from an accurate description of the herd.
Air temperature, wind speed, lot conditions, and walking distance will affect the energy needs or body weight loss of an animal. This information can be inputted if provided.
Upcoming improvements will allow us to use the following cow density information:
- resting and/or standing time
- number of meals
- accessibility to water
- amount of bunk space
- amount of drinking trough space
- stall size, type of bedding and other cow comfort issues
All of this information will assist in dry matter intake, rate of passage, number of meals, and rumen PH estimates to a greater degree.
We may not be able to use all of this information currently in ration programs, but they are still important variables we need to be aware of and record as we produce our rations. Every detail matters when formulating rations, and can make a difference in your herd’s performance.
Source: Agri Nutrition Consulting
