Pasture and forage crop systems for non-irrigated dairy farms in southern Australia: 3. Estimated economic value of additional home-grown feed

Management opportunities for boosting productivity of cool-temperate dairy farms under climate change

“…In an effort to reduce farm inputs, Australian forage based dairy systems are often designed to maximise energy intake from home-grown forage whilst minimising purchased supplementary feed (Chapman et al, 2011). At the current stocking rates our results suggest that there is an opportunity under future climates to reduce the amount of purchased supplementary feed necessary to meet herd demand, so in this respect climate change impacts on Tasmanian dairy systems would appear to align with the goals of the current producers.…”

“…Growth is restricted during winter due to low temperatures and in summer primarily due to insufficient rainfall, occasional heat waves and high vapour pressure deficit (Chapman et al, , 2011(Chapman et al, , 2012Cullen et al, 2009;Doyle et al, 2000). In north-western Tasmania, perennial ryegrass is generally most productive in spring as temperatures climb after winter and pastures utilise frequent rainfall and soil water that often accumulates over winter.…”

“…These conditions allow perennial ryegrass to provide a highly nutritional feed, with both high energy and high crude protein concentrations . The resultant seasonal growth patterns are characterised by feed deficits during summer that need to be filled with supplementary feed, and feed surpluses in spring, which ideally should be managed through feed conservation (Chapman et al, 2009(Chapman et al, , 2011Rawnsley et al, 2013). The heavy reliance of the Tasmanian dairy industry on home-grown forage increases farm vulnerability to climate change through its influence on pasture production and persistence and may result in an increased reliance on purchased supplementary feeds, that have variable costs.…”

Implementing innovative farm management practices on dairy farms:a review of feeding systems

“…Thus, practices should focus on how to fill summer and autumn gaps to further improve productivity (41). This also reflects the higher cost of feeding the dairy cows in autumn compared to spring (42).…”

“…The additional contribution to farm income of off-season feed depends on when the extra feed is produced and reflects the efficiency of extra feed converted into milk. For example, in contrast to the excess pasture availability in spring, during summer, any extra feed produced is likely to be better utilized by the dairy cows (41), reflecting the amount of feed on offer and the stage of lactation (43). Typically, 95% of dairy producers in Australia purchase feeds to supplement the pasture deficits (average of 1.6 t of grain, grain mixes, or feed concentrates per cow) (1).…”