Quality not quantity guideline for supplements

Just because it looks like good supplementary feed doesn't necessarily mean it is, says Robin Casey.

The relentless pursuit to increase production on the farm is becoming more difficult every season.

However, Wanganui-based independent agricultural fertiliser broker Robin Casey has a relatively simple method to ensure stock is given the best chance to produce maximum results.

"When it comes to supplementary feed it's quality versus quantity.

"The theory is that just because it looks like good supplementary feed doesn't necessarily mean it is," Casey said.

Although supplementary feed is a large cost each season, whether it is grown on-farm or bought, few people bothered to test for the key element - metabolisable energy (ME).

"We need to test more for ME, and that goes for all types of supplementaries. In the case of maize, for instance, just because it looks like it has a nice jacket doesn't mean everything is right underneath." The lower the ME the more feed stock need to reach the required level and that's at a cost to the farmer.

One cow eating 6kg of supplement with an ME of 9.8 will produce an energy level of 58.8, The cost of the supplement is $2.10 a day for one cow.

"If we take those figures and say the cow is eating 15kg producing 147 ME then the cost is $4.05 per day per cow. Yet if it's one cow eating 5.35kg of supplements with an ME of 11 producing 147 a day then the cost is $1.87 a day per cow.

"Why would anyone want to purchase any supplement without doing an ME test? It's like going to buy a bull and you find two identical looking bulls and you stand back and pick one without looking at its credentials or whether it's got the right pedigree to do the job. Sounds crazy, but it happens every day."

Mr Casey said with the test results in hand, the ME levels of supplementary feeds can be given its true value in dollar terms.

"I'd urge farmers to think about what they are buying. I'd advise farmers to pre-arrange the purchase deal and then the actual cost can match what the supplementary feed is actually doing. Broker a deal whereby you can pay for the supplementary according to what the ME level is."