Autumn/Winter Feed Budget
Have a plan for the rest of the season - do an Autumn/Winter Feed Budget.
Having a plan is essential to make the best decisions this autumn and winter. To do this you firstly need to start with estimating what the feed supply and demand will be from now to calving. It is not possible to estimate pasture grown to 99% accuracy but it is possible to make good decisions based on estimates of growth as it will rain this autumn. Without a plan there is no frame work to make decisions on.
Use the one page feed budget to formulate your plan and make decisions on:
- When to dry off
- The amount of feed required to meet body condition score and feed cover targets at calving
- Do a sensitivity to pasture grown +/- 20%
To get the best value from the feedplan break down the feed budget to weekly/10 day targets and monitor actual to target and make adjustments.
If you need help creating your own Autumn/Winter Feed Budget, contact your Local Consulting Officer or call the DairyNZ Farmer Information Service: 0800 4 DAIRYNZ (0800 4 324 7969).
