AGRICULTURE NEWS - A drought does not change how much feed a cow requires to produce a calf, says Johan Mouton, manager of research and development for ruminants at RCL Foods.
“You, as the farmer, have to adapt to make it possible for the cow to remain productive.”
Standards published by the Agricultural Research Council indicate that a dry cow needs 8kg of dry material a day to survive. “I like to say that to produce a weaner calf, a farmer needs a cow, a bull and about 5t of grass,” he says.
Management principles
Mouton says farmers often ask him whether it is necessary to use a hay ring.
“We did the calculation based on a trial Cattlein which we measured hay consumption with and without the use of a hay ring. Without a hay ring, feed consumption, including waste, amounted to 13,5kg/animal/ day. The moment we started using hay rings, consumption fell to 9,5kg/day.”
Read the full article here on the Caxton publication, Farmer's Weekly.
