Awakeri

Farmwatch

Region: Bay of Plenty

With calving now in full swing for many, it’s easy to forget the detail in a lot of the things that need to get done each day. Make sure all cows are receiving the right amount of magnesium supplementation and check all cows for mastitis before they leave the colostrum mob. A good practice is to carry out a rapid mastitis test (RMT) on all cows before they enter the milking mob. Aim to offer all calved cows at least 12 kg DM/cow/day (Friesian) and 10 kg DM/cow/day (Jersey). Monitor grazing residuals to ensure these intake levels are being achieved. If you employ staff it would be useful to have a 15 minute staff meeting each day to review what is working well and what needs to be changed. This is also a good time to assess how staff are coping with the pressures of spring and whether revisions to the roster need to be considered, especially for the benefit of young staff members.