Attendees at the event discuss their key takeaways from the day.
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00For clients and stuff like that, it's certainly some tips and point of view on comparing apples
00:04with apples and looking from a feed quality basis and making sure that you are feeding
00:10out the highest quality, not only just yield as one parameter of a point of difference
00:15I suppose.
00:16It's something that they're really good at down there, the dairy guys are really switched
00:20on to quality and improving their grain yields within their forage and silage crops.
00:26Quality is key, producing a quality silage and then keeping that quality high whilst
00:32it's in the bunker is key.
00:34You can lose a lot of value in the silage once it's in a bunker that's not sealed properly,
00:39so yeah, just keeping that quality high through its whole life cycle is important.
00:44Silage is part of, I guess, most dairy farmers' systems these days and we're no different,
00:49so always looking for something to, I guess, something to get out of what the research
00:54is happening and then also to hear about what's coming in the future.
00:59As corn silage users, we're, and also sorghum and soybeans and barley, so we work across
01:05a wide variety, but looking quality, I guess, is our key thing and then also storage and
01:13sealing that silage to have the quality out the other end.
01:17Also wear another hat too, as on an RDC with Dairy Australia, so that's, it's good because
01:22we help fund this, but it's also good to see that QDAF is working with the Murray region
01:28through Murray Dairy to sort of look what's relevant, not only for here, but other inland
01:33farm systems through New South Wales and into the Murray region.
01:37So that's really good that we're getting that value, not only here, but all levy payers
01:42and all farmers through that central region.
01:45There was a lot of presenters today and I guess the key thing is quality.
01:51They were really pushing like quality silage, the right time to be able to chop it, and
01:58also the length of the silage and the whole overall thing, like from the crop to storing
02:08it and covering it properly, because a silage that's done well will last for a long, long
02:14time.
02:15Like, you know, if you do it well, it can last 20 years covered up.
02:19A great feed commodity for the cows.
02:23It's a good nutrition.
02:24We're actually a TMR, which is a totally mixed ration, so our girls are a little bit spoiled.
02:29They actually have a feed pad and we mix up all their rations and put it on a feed pad
02:35and they eat there.
02:36So they don't have to go on the paddocks and graze.
02:39It's all delivered to them on a plate, basically, so having that quality, you test it to make
02:45sure that they're getting the right nutrition and everything to help with their milk production.
02:51So, you know, it starts from the beginning, quality feed intake gives you a higher yield
02:58of milk output.