Formulating Rations in Difficult Years

Charles J. Sniffen, Ph.D.Fencrest, LLC

Introduction Our producers are experiencing

unprecedented low milk prices combined with high feed prices

Feed cost is the biggest single cost along with labor on the farm

It is incumbent on us as nutritionists to provide the lowest possible price on feeds and to provide the best nutrition that we can

The TransitionLACTATION - REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE

Dry Lactating

Fetal Growth

DMI

Milk

0

DMI

EB/BC

50 70Days Relative to Calving

-60 -14

Transition

28

Body CSControlPeriod

200 305

40 21

Controlling Milk Components

0

120

60Lbs Milk

1.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

% ComponentMilk Volume

Milk Fat

Milk T Protein

0 30045 200

Days in MilkDays in Milk

The Dilution effect

look over time the volume shipped and the % milk true and crude protein and % fat in the milk.

You can increase the volume upward and the % components can go down

You can have volume go down and the % components go up

components shipped in both cases can remain the same

Farm Responsibilities

Providing consistent good quality forages

Providing flexible management Providing cow comfort Paying attention to the long term

Replacements – the future of the herd

What can we do?

Optimizing forages for all groups on the farm Do not guess on forage analyses – make

sure all forages are analyzed and are current

Assess all inventories of forages on the farm

Assess quality of storage and potential losses

Analyze forages for what? DM (for silages have

Koster tester on farm) Protein

SolP NH3

ADIP NDIP

NDF ADF

Lignin NDFd 24 (also 12h?)

Fermentation acids Starch

Starch Deg - 7h Sugars Ash

Macro and trace EE Other

Effective fiber Mycotoxins if necessary

Selecting a Template It is extremely important to select the right

template Look at the analysis of your forage and then

decide which forage in your master dictionary or your personal dictionary best matches the lab analyses

Modify the numbers Everything needs to add up to 100!!!

Establish Requirements

Define group formulating for Age, weight, milk Environment Management

Weighted Pen Average

Environment

Management

The Important concept is the walk through

Example OptimizationNDS

Example Optimization Dina Milk

Example Optimization - CPM

Example Optimization - CPM

Requirements – what to balance for? First Balance

DMI ME MP peNDF, Forage NDF NFC Peptide & NH3

RDP, %DM

Second Balance Fermentable NDF Lignin Fermentable

Starch Sugars Soluble fiber

Fat & FA Amino acids – Lys then

Met Final Balance

Minerals & Vitamins

Fiber RecommendationsNutrient Kg %Fraction %DM Good

Environment Average

Environment Poor

Environment Min Max Min Max Min Max

Dry Matter2 24.5

Ferm CHO Dry Matter

10.5 43 43 42 45 41 44 38 41

Total NDF 7.4 30 30 36 28 33 27 31

Forage NDF 5.2 70 22 21 23 22 24 23 25

peNDF 5.6 76.6 23 23 25 23 25 23 25

Lignin 0.9 11.7 3.5 3 4 3 5 4 6

Fermentable NDF 2.6 >32 10 9 11 10 12 11 13

NFC RecommendationsNutrient Kg %Fraction %DM Good

Environment Average

Environment Poor

Environment Min Max Min Max Min Max

NFC 9.3 38 42 44 37 39 36 38

Fermentation Acids 0.0 <5

Sugar 1.7 7 5 6 6 7 7 8

Ferm Sugar 84 5.9 3.75 4.5 4.5 5.25 5.25 6

Starch 6.1 25 25 28 23 25 21 23

Fermentable starch 5.1 84 21 20 22 18 20 17 18

Soluble Fiber 1.7 7 3 5 4 6 6 8

Ferm. SolF 1.2 84 5.9 2.4 4 3.2 4.8 4.8 6.4

Vitreousness & Starch Availability Shaver, 2002

Variation in Starch Degradability in Corn Silage CVAS 2008

Frequency

1241 samples

LIPID RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE EARLY LACTATION COW

Lipid Poor Environment

Average Environment

Good Environment

Total Lipid, %DM 5 – 7 4 – 5 3 – 4 Total Unsaturated, %DM

3 3 3

18:1C+18:2+18:3, %DMI

2.5 2.6 2.7

Saturated, %DM 2 1 0 – 1 Bypass, %DM 2 0 – 1 0

Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition

The key to protein nutrition starts with adequate peptides and NH3 to meet microbial requirements Dietary Recycled from animal and from protozoa

Need to improve ability to predict microbial yield

Amino acid flow from feeds will change Will be using Degussa database

Amino acid requirements are changing