{"id":18277,"date":"2021-04-13T16:29:40","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T16:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.vas.com\/it\/?p=18277"},"modified":"2021-08-06T20:52:30","modified_gmt":"2021-08-06T20:52:30","slug":"feeding-dairy-cows-lower-costs-with-these-dos-and-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/vas.com\/it\/2021\/04\/13\/feeding-dairy-cows-lower-costs-with-these-dos-and-donts\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeding dairy cows: Lower costs with these do\u2019s and dont’s"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Feeding dairy cows: Lower costs with these do\u2019s and dont's <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Feed prices are on the verge of being at their highest level in years. In turn, this has caused some major concern for dairy producers who are already facing tight margins.<\/p>

However, when considering your options to lower your feed bill, there are some do\u2019s and don\u2019ts. Jordan Kraft-Lambert, vice president of business development at VAS, along with Mark Schlaefer, feed manager at Kinnard Farm in Green Bay, Wis., offer these tips:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What To Do<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Get Visibility<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cMost producers are feeding their cows by using spreadsheets, but some are just scribbling the rations down on a sheet of paper so there\u2019s no real-time feedback about how accurately they\u2019re feeding their animals a consistent ration,\u201d Kraft-Lambert says.<\/p>

To gain a better understanding of what\u2019s actually happening at the feed bunk, she suggests using a feed management system to help monitor feed inventory, record trends and assist with management decisions.<\/p>

\u201cIn order to help control feed costs, one of the best things a producer can do is invest in a feed management system<\/a> because that gives you the ability to really see what\u2019s going on,\u201d Kraft-Lambert adds.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Track Progress<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If you want to know where you\u2019re going, it\u2019s important to know where you\u2019ve been. According to Kraft-Lambert, keeping track of your progress is a crucial step in a feed management program.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cI don\u2019t know about you, but I have a terrible memory,\u201d she jokes. \u201cOne of the great things about feed management software is you can set it up to send you email notifications to see how you\u2019ve performed. It\u2019s more of a coaching tool and a companion to help you understand how to be the best feeder possible.\u201d<\/p>

If you don\u2019t have the means to invest in a feed management system, there are other ways to track your progress.<\/p>

\u201cGetting in the habit of making a little appointment with yourself to calculate your feed costs per pound of dry matter is a good practice,\u201d Kraft-Lambert says. \u201cJust looking at that every week can help you make better decisions as you\u2019re deciding what feed to buy.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Make Your Own<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In just a matter of weeks producers will hit the fields to get their crops in the ground. It\u2019s likely we\u2019ll see farmers planting more of their own forages this year to help keep feed prices lower.<\/p>

\u201cWhen possible, the best thing you can do is make your own feed and control those costs,\u201d Kraft-Lambert adds. \u201cIt\u2019s important to have some in-depth conversations with your agronomist, particularly about how much nitrogen you need to be putting on your field. Getting the right amount of nitrogen into that corn crop means you\u2019re going to have a lot of really great protein in your silage, which translates to the protein that ends up in the milk check.\u201d<\/p>

What shouldn\u2019t you do when trying to lower feed costs? Get the dont’s here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Republished with permission from Dairy Herd Management.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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

Feeding dairy cows: Lower costs with these do\u2019s and dont’s Feed prices are on the verge of being at their highest level in years. In turn, this has caused some major concern for dairy producers who are already facing tight margins. However, when considering your options to lower your feed bill, there are some do\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":18816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,25,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-feed-comp","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nFeeding dairy cows: Lower costs with these do\u2019s and dont's - VAS - IT - vas.com\/it - ID:6<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/vas.com\/it\/2021\/04\/13\/feeding-dairy-cows-lower-costs-with-these-dos-and-donts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VAS Shares New Updates to its Web-Based Platform at World Dairy Expo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Feeding dairy cows: Lower costs with these do\u2019s and dont’s Feed prices are on the verge of being at their highest level in years. 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