March 2020

Figuring out fat test                      

With the recent increase in milk price, we breathe a small sigh of relief. But following that sigh, we dig down and figure out how to increase out income over feed cost, how to get paid more for our milk.

Milk fat depression isn’t just when we see a decrease in butter fat test, it is also when the cows are not reaching their potential in the first place.           

Where do we start?   

1. Test the feed.
   1. Similar to amino acids, feeds contain fatty acids. We can utilize different combinations of on farm feeds and supplements to balance fatty acids and optimize milk components.

What else?       

• Test the milk
  • Butterfat is analized and can show us where the cow is lacking.
    • De Novo: Produced from good forage utilization
      • Preformed: Supplied by body fat mobilization or by feeding palm oil.
        • Mixed: Shown by energy utilization and forage digestion.
        • Double bond: Deveolped when we feed unsaturated oils

“The future belongs to the few of us still willing to get our hands dirty” ~Roland Tiangco

Other considerations

1. Rumen pH
2. Starch levels
3. Unsaturated fats
4. Supplements being used – rumensin, bypass vs. rumen protected
5. Effective fibers
6. Overcrowding
7. Mold, Yeast, Micotoxins

By working with a nutritionist, a diet can be formulated to consider your individual farm and situation to find the right way to balance your diet to optimize your milk production. ROI/ IOFC

              
One last note:             

Although snow is still on the ground and we have plenty of layers on each morning. Let us begin to prepare, both mentally and physically, for planting season to begin! We are 3 months from first crop. Let’s use that time to take inventory of our equipment and parts, as well as seed and start working numbers for how much we need to harvest.

  Contact :                 

Cory Colburn

(608)606-6832

cory.colburn@outlook.com