Give your heifers a good cost-effective start

Matt Akins, University of Wisconsin dairy specialist, said with milk prices slumping, making it a priority to trim feed costs in the heifer-rearing programme will be a worthwhile undertaking for many dairy farmers. Matt said heifers account for around 20% of the total cost on most dairies. What’s more, feed costs typically make up about 50% of all heifer expenditure. “Herd size, cow-culling rates, first calving dates for heifers, heifer culling rates, facilities and plans for expansion will all be a part of your calculations”, he said. He recommended the online “Heifer Replacement Tool” developed by University of Wisconsin dairy scientist Victor Cabrera, which lets you enter specific variables and gives fairly accurate estimates for working through the planning process. Matt also said there is a need to reduce days on feed. An average age at first calving of more than 22 to 24 months means that heifers are fed longer than necessary, translating into higher feed costs. “Step up feed bunk management, feed higher-fibre forage, consider limit-feeding and incorporate grazing into your feeding programme”, Matt said. To read more, click HERE.