April 5, 2010

Australian dairy farms waste one third of feed

Nearly one third of supplementary feed is wasted on many Australian dairy farms, according to a recent report.

It is revealed that feeding out in the paddock can result in huge levels of waste, whether on the ground or through hay rings, despite it being the most common method used on Australian dairy farms.

Feed waste can be minimised by using more permanent, feed-out facilities such as a feed-pad with compacted gravel or concrete surface and purpose-built feed troughs, although these systems cost more to set up and may not suit every dairy business.

However, it is possible to achieve lower waste levels, even with the low-cost systems, according to the report.

The report shows that wastage of hay, silage and mixed rations on dairy farms can add 20-30% to the cost of these feeds.