Feeding Grape Marc to Stock

Grape Marc is the focus of many phone calls I've received in the last few days.  People want to know what this product is, if it can be used to feed cattle and if there is any usefulness to this as a feed.

Basically Grape Marc is the remains of wine making. It consists of the stems, seeds and pulps after the grapes have been processed for wine.

Grape Marc can be very variable in its feed value.  The moisture content of this product can vary significantly depending on its processing method.

The energy and protein content of Grape Marc is also variable.  Tests by state Departments of Agriculture highlights the variation in feed values of Grape Marc.

NSW DPI figures indicate Grape Marc has an average value of 50.7% DM; just over 13% CP and around 6MJ of metabolisable energy (ME).  

At best Grape Marc can have a dry matter of 90%; and up to 8 MJ/ ME.  

Effectively this means Grape Marc is a basic feed which can be used as a filler in a ration.  

I reckon a lot of producers need to consider how cost effective this type of feed can be to their circumstances.  If feed is low in Dry Matter, e.g. 50% then you needs to work out how much it is costing to actually get that feed home. 

For example; if a truck load of feed is 55% Dry Matter; 45% is moisture.  So for every 1000kgs on the truck, 450kgs of that load is moisture!

When you feed your stock, your are feeding a ration based on Dry Matter & MJ/ME  So in the case of that 55% DM feed it might have 7MJ/ME, it works like this: 

• if your animal needs 80MJ/ME day (based on its weight) then it needs to eat 11kg/DM a day

• based on the DM of that feed, you would need to feed out 20kgs of feed a day.

I reckon when you start looking at those quantities, and the costs associated with such a feed, you will quickly work out if it actually is the best option for you to purchase.

Grape Marc is also a feed which can pose a residue risk to your stock.  You must ask for a Commodity Vendor Declaration form and make sure you keep a record of the vendor, the stock you feed and how much you feed.

The skins and seeds contained in Grape Marc can be risk for chemical residue.  The Victorian DPI notes some studies indicate oil soluble chemicals can be ingested easily from grape seeds to accumulate in fat tissue. 

Dairy Australia has developed some suggestions for producers using Grape Marc, which is a handy reference.

As with any unusual feed, I reckon you need to way up the costs and the risks pretty carefully before you start using it.

If you can't get a Commodity Vendor Declaration for the products you want to use, then I reckon you should avoid using that feed.

If you do your homework and work out the options, then Grape Marc may be a good choice for you.  But don't rush in until you've made a few enquiries and worked out if it is the best option for you.

If you are unsure about a feed, its usefulness or its suitability for your stock, make sure you get some sound advice before spending money or taking risks with it.  I reckon the drought is tough enough without the risk of feeding the wrong products.

Managing your pastures

Pasture management is critical skill for graziers.  I reckon pastures are the cheapest form of feed for livestock, and good management is essential in meeting livestock production targets.  

There's actually a lot more to good pasture management than many people realise.  Its not just growing a pasture and letting animals graze it.  Good management addresses pasture species, as well as the amount of pasture available to animals, and just as importantly the quality of the pasture.

The amount of pasture needed for livestock is one of the things I often find producers underestimate.  Cattle have difficulty meeting their daily requirements when pasture mass falls below 1500kg / DM /Ha.  

As pasture mass declines, cattle need to graze longer and work harder to achieve intake, which means production suffers.  

At the same time pasture quality is also influencing how much cattle can consume and how well they will perform.

Quality describes the energy and protein of the pasture.  The easiest way for producers to understand the quality of their pasture is to consider its digestibility.  Digestibility is directly related to the energy levels of the pasture.  High digestibility (68 - 72%) can have energy levels of 9 - 10ME 

This type of pasture is generally a green leafy pasture.  Not only does it have good energy levels, the high digestibility means it will be quickly digested and the animal can graze more frequently and increase its intake.  The increase in intake results in improved performance.

When digestibility falls the energy level of the pasture also falls.  It results in longer digestion times, which reduces the grazing and intake of stock.  

Recognising this is a challenge for all producers.  Just as not having enough pasture mass impacts on animal intake,  having too much pasture mass also causes problems.  I reckon many people don't realise that having pasture over 2600kg /DM / Ha won't actually increase the amount that stock can eat.  

Firstly, cattle will only eat until the achieve gut fill.  Over 2600kg / DM /Ha the digestibility of pasture is often falling, so it takes longer for the feed to pass through and what feed is consumed is lower in energy, limiting performance.

At the same time there are the challenges of managing pastures to ensure they can establish roots successfully, as well as to allow seed set to happen.  

Balancing the demands of stock against pasture quantity and quality is a constant task.  

To get the balancing act right, I reckon you need to learn three key things.  

First is develop and constantly practice assessing pasture mass in kilograms of Dry Matter / Ha (kg/ DM /Ha).

Secondly learn how to assess pasture quality by assessing pasture digestibility.  The window for animal performance is limited pretty much to a range of 60 - 70%.  Slight changes in digestibility, for example between 68 and 65% can see significant differences in intake and in animal performance.  

To assess digestibility I usually look at both the stage of plant growth, and at cow pats!  

Thirdly you need to actually appreciate the daily requirements for the stock you are grazing and start to match those with the pastures you have.  

Working on these three skills opens up the opportunity to undertake pasture budgeting.  It will also help you make better decisions for your livestock, and if you use supplements to choose the most appropriate options for your situation.

Don't forget, if you want to become a better pasture manager to get in touch with me and we can work through these skills and how best to use them on your pastures.

Don't fall for the "what if"

In the past three weeks I've actually been working in Malaysia.  The work was a great opportunity to see tropical agriculture.  After three weeks working in tropical conditions, in and around palm and rubber plantations, coming home to the dry of northern NSW was a big visual shock.

This shock got me thinking.  Drought conditions can quickly become a feature of what we see, particularly this current season.  We become so used to see the brown colours and the dry feed, we don't always move as quickly on drought planning as we should.

There is no doubt, Northern NSW is now under drought conditions. However I reckon many people have become so used to seeing the dry conditions over the last few months, they haven't adjusted their plans from a dry season to drought management.

Successful drought management is based on good planning.  Plans need to be based on a realistic assessment of:

How much feed do you now have in your paddocks?

How many head of livestock do you have?

What is the production status of those livestock?

How much water is in your dams, or reserves?

What is the quality of that water?

The next questions need to be asked and answered honestly. 

What will change if there is no rain in 4 weeks?  What about in 6 weeks?  What about in 12 weeks?

Finally, if it rains within the next 3 - 4 weeks will you actually get useful feed or water supplies?  

These questions are the basis of all successful drought management plans.  They provide the information that can help make effective and realistic short, medium and long term plans for your enterprise.  

I reckon when you ask these questions, you can start to then identify some options.  If you don't have enough paddock feed, what animals should you be selling first?  Which are the high value animals and which are the ones which you shouldn't keep in the enterprise.

How good is your water? Water is a huge limitation to grazing programs.  Cattle need up to 150lts of water a day, depending on their size, their production status and the temperature around them.  Its almost impossible to truck enough water every day.  Its better to realise this early and plan accordingly, rather than leave it too late.  

Are your cattle wading into dames, fouling the water and wasting this resource?  Can you put a temporary fence and trough system in place?  These are all questions which you need to answer earlier rather than later.

Some other useful tips for droughts:

• De-stock early to manage feed and to prevent long term destruction of your paddocks. When it does rain you want the pasture to come back quickly

• Identify which cows to sell first. Older and non pregnant animals should be the first to go

• Consider options to value add steers or cows to get them to weight and fatness to sell quickly. Weigh up this option as it sometimes works well for producers early in a drought

• Review your finances and talk to your bank and accountant

• Consider early weaning

• Temporary electric fencing to divide paddocks helps manage grazing pressure and allow plants some recovery which is important

I reckon the two most important things producers need to remember is:

1) Make a plan and stick to it!  Don't wait of become victim of the "what if" scenario.  When you work on the "what if" it becomes an excuse not to be proactive. People who work to the "what if it rains next week" keep putting off decisions and never recover from a drought.

2) Seek advice and second opinions.  When you look at your paddocks and cattle every day you get so used to what you see.  Get someone you trust to look at your plan and help you stick to the plan.  

By doing this, I reckon you can manage a drought with more confidence than by waiting on a "what if.."

How good are you in the yards?

I reckon there can be no doubt that handling cattle is a skill.  Whether its mustering in extensive paddocks, moving them through the yards or undertaking routine husbandry, all producers need to handle their cattle at some point.  While every producer may have to handle their cattle, there is a huge variation in the handling skills producers possess. 

One of the big misconceptions I run across is producers who think they were born with stock handling skills or that these skills will just develop because they live on a farm.

I reckon the truth is, like any skill, safe handling skills are a result of education, knowledge and practice.  

So how much time do you put into your handling skills?  Have you done any training, or at the very least thought about how your actions cause your animals to respond to you?  Do you think much about how your stock behave and try to modify your actions to work with their natural behaviour patterns?

One of the best things I have done in my career was to have participated in a stock handling school.  The two days I spent encouraged me to reconsider the way stock behave, and the ways my actions cause them to respond. 

Some of the things I learnt weren't new.  There were some ideas and actions I was used to using.  But there were plenty of new things I picked up.

Building your skills is one thing.  Maintaining your skills takes practice and requires commitment.  In our business I reckon we need to spend more time working on our skills and recognise that we don't always know it all!  

There are some simple principles which underpin good stock handling skills.  The first is to have patience. The second is to have a sense of humour.  And third is to remain alert and respond positively to the animals.  If you can do that, the animals will respond positively to you. Essentially, good stock handling skill is about having the right attitude and the right skills.  

If you're not too sure about your skills, ask yourself these questions.

• Can you identify the flight zone for the group of animals you're working with?

• Can you pick the lead animal?

• Can you get the mob to move without making a lot of noise or by physically touching those animals?

• Do you know where you should be standing or riding to get the mob to stop or slow down?

These are just a few questions which you could use to check on the state of your stock handling skills.  If you weren't too sure about them, I reckon its not a bad idea to think about a stock handling course.

Even if you could answer those questions easily, I still think its not a bad idea to do some skills development.  Consider it refresher training, but I reckon you will have a similar experience to me.  And that is, you will be challenged, excited and enthused about your skills and how much you will enjoy working with your stock.

If you'd like to arrange for some training or skills maintenance in stock handling, feel free to get in touch with me, and we can arrange some training for you and your team.

How big do your cows need to be?

How big are your cows?  That's a question I ask producers in almost every conversation.  Not because I think bigger is better! Rather knowing the size of cows helps me to develop recommendations from feeding through to stocking rates and options for markets.

How much a cow needs to eat each day is driven by her weight.  Saying this often seems to be quite simple and not at all surprising!  I reckon its so simple, people often don't think about it properly, and more importantly, they don't appreciate how important this simple fact is for cow fertility, beef production and to enterprise profitability.

To show how intake changes, I thought I would refer to the intake chart used in the ProGraze courses.  

I like this table for a few reasons.  The first is that it shows how intake increases as cow weights increase. What it also shows is how much more feed cows require once they start lactating.  In the case of a 500kg cow, she will need an extra 3.8kg of feed each day when she calves.  

I guess 3.8kg may not sound like much, but over 100 cows, thats an extra 380kg/DM a day, or 2,660kg/DM a week.  

If cows don't get that extra feed at lactation, they will lose weight.  In some cases using body reserves for lactation can be an efficient option.  However, if cows are in Fat Score 2 or below, they won't have sufficient body fat to really make up the difference.  As a result their return to oestrus will be delayed - meaning a longer calving interval. And they will produce less milk, meaning you will have lighter and less valuable calves.

The profit driver on any beef enterprise is kilograms of beef produced per hectare.  The key to this in breeding herds is to have a cow produce a live calf every 12 months.  

Based on the intake chart above, we can do some quick comparisons between the requirements of 500 and 600 kg cows (based on a mob of 100 head).

The daily intake for 100hd of 500kg cows would be 690kg/DM.  

This compares to the intake of 100hd of 600kg cows. They would need 840kg/DM a day.

The difference between the two is 150kg/DM.  In practical terms this could mean either you could run around 20 more 500kg cows or more likely you would be probably running a smaller herd of 600kg cows.  Less cows will mean less calves and therefore less profits.  

If you did try to run the same number of larger cows you would have to be prepared to provide supplementary feeds to meet their daily requirements if your pastures were lacking.  Doing this will also erode the profits of the enterprise.  However without feed, your cows will be less fertile and productive.

As with any of these questions, the size of your cows should be balanced against your environment and your markets.  If you have the pastures and the market options for moderate size cows, then you should be using those resources to improve your productivity.  But just remember, bigger cows don't always give you the most flexibility when the season gets touch or your market specifications change.

Its a simple thing, but knowing how much your cows weigh lets you know how much they need to eat and to be productive.  Know this, and you can start to manage your herd to be productive and profitable. 

If you want some advice or to look over your cows, don't hesitate to get in touch. Often a second opinion can make the evaluation process a lot clearer for you.

Should you use a consultant?

Following a couple of discussions I had at a recent bull sale, I decided this weeks Rayner Reckons could be a little different.  Before the sale one farmer wanted to tell me I should be still doing my job as a beef cattle officer and there's no way anyone can afford to pay for livestock advice.

It was an interesting conversation! As a Livestock Officer (Beef Products) with NSW DPI, I loved the opportunity to work with producers.  The role was not just about giving advice.  We did lots of problem solving, teaching new skills, and coming up with new ways to be profitable and sustainable in beef production.  When the Livestock Officer positions were completely deleted from NSW DPI, I knew I wanted to keep doing these things with producers.  And so I founded RaynerAg.

Shortly after that conversation, I was in a yard looking at some bulls, when another farmer came up.  He was someone I've known for a long time.  He also wanted to talk about my old job! But he wanted to know; now he didn't have a beef cattle officer, should he pay for a consultant.  I replied to him, "So you're asking my advice on paying for advice?"  It made us both laugh, and I'm off to visit him in a few days. 

So these two conversations have made me think.  Should you be using a consultant?  Should you be paying for advice?  Is it worth it?  I reckon anything I say to answer those questions might be seen as biased, so I wanted to share a link to a publication I found from the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/items/07-103).  Its basically a guide to finding and working with consultants on your farm business.

I reckon getting an independent source of advice is essential for your business.  Farming is constantly changing, and farmers have more than enough demands on their time, without adding on time to research and explore new ways or ideas to use on their business.  The independent advice a consultant brings isn't just a fresh set of eyes to your operation, its also a fresh set of ideas and experiences, which can help you get to your goals a lot more quickly.

Is it worth paying for advice? Good advice can result in more money.  I often see my advice being used to save a lot of money.  A couple of weeks ago Rayner Reckons looked at reducing the amount of hay which gets wasted when feeding cows.

After that article, I received an email from a farmer, which he was happy for me to share.  He told me that after reading that article, he worked out he was probably wasting $350 worth of hay a week. He only fed hay for 6 weeks and so he was shocked to realise that he was wasting over $2000.  I'm really pleased to help sort that issue out, and after a day with him, we've picked up a few other ideas, which will also save a heap of money each year.  

The RIRDC report highlights the reasons farmers use consultants.  Some of the reasons included 

• needing advice to expand and diversify the business

• having advice on the timing of decisions

• having a fresh set of eyes

• because the bank manager or accountant strongly advised them too

• because farmers valued independent advice which wasn't linked to commission on sales of product

There are some really good tips and suggestions in this guide.  So if you identify with any of those points above, or you would like to push your program along, then maybe using a consultant is the next step.

It would be great if I was the person you'd like to work with. If you think I can help you save some money or make a some more, then please feel free to get in touch!

Don't waste your hay

Late winter can be the coldest time of the year in Australia.  The weather has been really variable in the last few weeks.  Last Thursday I was in Armidale and it was sleeting, while this week we've had temperatures in the low 20's!  The BOM has some great tools to use for farmers looking at the season ahead.  Its definitely worth looking at the BOM website http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/temps_ahead.shtml so you can plan ahead for the next few weeks.

Cold, windy weather often occurs over the next few months.  In these conditions, hay becomes an important option for farmers seeking to look after their stock more effectively.  Hay offers several advantages at this time of the year.  

Firstly good quality hay should have reasonable levels of energy (ME / DM). This is handy when pastures are short and green, as it can help meet the energy requirements of lactating cows.  Secondly hay is rumen friendly, so it can be fed without requiring an introductory feeding period (which you have to do with grain).  Most importantly for cold, wet and windy weather, as cows digest hay, the rumen is working a little bit harder and so generates more body heat.

While hay is a great option for these reasons, it also has another advantage.  Hay is fairly easy to handle and to feed out.  Cattle don't take long to learn to eat hay, and so it's a pretty simple feeding option.

Just because hay is simple and effective, doesn't mean you can be casual about how you feed it to your cows!

Good hay isn't cheap. Yet some people seem to feed hay in such a way that up to 35% of hay gets wasted.  I reckon if you did your sums correctly, you wouldn't be happy about wasting this much money!

So how do you avoid wasting hay? There are a few things you can do. Firstly hay should be fed in ring feeders or racks.  Using a feeder can reduce waste from 35% down to around 5%.  Secondly you should have more than one feeder. This gives all of your cows a chance to access the hay.

Putting too much hay out will also result in increased losses.  Research from the University of Missouri (http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4570) looked at how much hay is wasted by putting out lose on the ground vs using hay racks.  The study also looked at what happened when hay was fed every day vs every 7 days.  

When large round or square bales where fed in racks or rings, the waste was around 4.9%.  This compared to a rate of 12.3% when fed across the ground. These losses were just on 1 days worth of hay.

For 7 days supply, the waste level in rings went up to 5.4%. But for 7 days worth of hay spread across the ground, the waste was 43%.  

Sadly its not unusual to see a round bale dropped in a paddock, or rolled out across the ground.  This method of feeding results in waste from trampling and by contamination from dung and urine.  

I reckon its a huge waste of good feed, and a really unnecessary economic waste for any enterprise. 

Investing in some hay racks, or ring feeders will pay off very quickly once you work out just how much hay you can save.

The other handy thing about investing in hay racks or rings is they will come in handy when weaning comes around or to use with some hay to settle your new bulls into the yards on their first night in their new home.

Don't forget if you want some advice on feeding your cows, or anything to help your beef business become more efficient to give me a call.  I'd be very keen to share a few ideas and see how we can achieve your goals more easily.

Sharing ideas & experiences

I'm very passionate about sharing information, ideas and advice which can help producers run their businesses in a better way.  I was told once by a farmer that there are not many ways in which you can save $100, but if you can find 100 ways to save $1 you will come out in front!

I reckon that's not a bad piece of advice.  Finding ways to save a dollar or to be more efficient with the money you invest in your business is a rewarding part of my job.  I also get a big lift when I can share an experience or an idea I've seen somewhere which can be used to make an impact on someones operation or to solve a new problem.

In the last few years I've been using social media to share some of those ideas, experiences and images.  I reckon one of the great things with Twitter or Facebook is the chance to share events as they are happening.  Good decisions come about from accurate and timely information.  I reckon if I can highlight cattle in a paddock, or an event as it happens, then I've helped producers access that information more quickly and efficiently which might help them make a better decision for their business.  

The other great thing with social media has been a chance to connect with new people who have ideas and experiences with similar challenges to the producers I work with. Being able to share ideas and experiences isn't just good for decision making, but its also important to keep us connected.

In the last few months I've delivered several workshops with producers to work through the opportunities to connect and share their experiences and ideas through social media.  While I've really enjoyed the workshops, I've got so much more pleasure seeing and reading their stories long after the workshops.  It helps me feel connected and involved and every now and then it gives me an idea which I know I can use to help someone else.

Make some time before the sale

Late July, August and September are three exciting months in the annual cattle calendar. Calving for most herds occurs over this time.  At the same time, the majority of the regions annual bull sales take place.  

Buying new bulls is exciting.  The chance to acquire new genetics to lift your herd performance should be exciting. Having said that, I reckon buying a new bull is a process that should start well before sale day.

In earlier posts I've discussed the impact a bull will have on your herd over a few generations, and on the importance of putting a plan in place to bring your bull home from the sale.  Planning shouldn't start when the catalogue arrives in the mail.  It should be on going as you monitor the growth of your cattle; their performance and suitability for your environment and your target markets.

This close attention to production indicators will help you select potential bulls from a catalogue based on their genetic suitability to your enterprise.  Not every bull in a catalogue will suit you.  When you have found those bulls, try and have a look at them before sale time.  As I've said before most bull breeders will be very happy for you to have a look. 

If you don't get a chance to see the bulls before sale day, you really need to make plenty of time before the sale actually starts to get into the yard and check your selected bulls out properly.

Ideally you are looking for a bull that displays the physical attributes which complement the genetics identified in the catalogue.  

I reckon you need to be assessing each bull for his maturity pattern; structural soundness; testicle size and sheath; muscularity and for temperament.  

You should spend your time looking at the bulls which you've selected from the catalogue.  By doing that you will be looking at bulls which you know have the genetics you require for your herds development, and you wont be distracted by bulls which might look good, but genetically don't really suit your enterprise.

Its never a bad thing to take someone along to the sale with you to bounce ideas off and to make sure your assessments don't miss anything.  It can be hard and really isn't fair to ask the vendor on sale day to give you time to go through the bulls.  Some vendors arrange to have an independent industry advisor on hand to help you make your assessments.   Its a role I'm undertaking for several sales this season.  I'm looking forward to helping producers choose the right bull for their operation and environment.  

Once you've made your choice, make sure you have a chance to have a cuppa and catch up with other producers.  Be relaxed and bid only on your chosen bull when the sale starts.  If you do miss out on your chosen bull, don't bid on anything! That desperate last bull may set your operation back a long way.  

If you do miss out, chat to the vendor about what you were looking for.  That personal contact might help find some options which really suit you and your operation.  

If you make your plans and know what you are looking for, get good advice and find the right bull, you will make an investment which will take your herd forward to a new level of performance.