VIDEO: Dairy feed efficiency – from low protein diets to youngstock
Feed efficiency on a dairy farm boosts animal performance and maintains a sustainable and profitable operation. In this video we caught up with Rosalinde Goselink at the Dairy Campus in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. She is from Wageningen Livestock Research and carries out research pertaining to this subject.
Goselink talks about how feed efficiency is not only related to dairy cow performance but also sustainability – nitrogen and ammonia are topics highlighted. She goes on to discuss protein efficiency and also reducing methane per litre of milk produced. The current trial she is involved in is focused on low protein diets. How low can the protein input be? What are the long-term effects of feeding less protein?
Also, the trial includes a look at the efficiency of grazing – how much milk can be produced per kg of fresh grass. In addition, a look at how youngstock management can affect feed efficiency at the later productive stage as an adult dairy cow.
To find out more – watch the video below.
Video shot by Theo Galama
