Feed costs are the highest operational costs in a dairy business, so it is vital that we manage these well in order to enhance our farm’s profitability. We are currently well into a somewhat m­ild spring here, in most regions of New South Wales, so thought it would be a good opportunity to revisit some earlier podcast episodes on key aspects of profitable pasture management and silage making.

The extracts come from a couple of very popular episodes and even though they are a couple of years old, the messages and key principles discussed are as relevant as ever.

The first episode was Episode 3 – Lowering total feed costs with good spring pasture management with NSW agronomists Josh Hack and Peter Beale. Aspects such as the importance and economics of nitrogen use and the principles of good grazing management to help capture true pasture surpluses are discussed. Please note that urea prices discussed in this episode were from a couple of years ago when urea prices were abnormally high.

The second episode comes from Episode 24 – The economics of silage making with agronomist Neil Griffiths. It follows on logically from the previous episode. Neil highlights the importance of timing when making silage in relation to producing high quality and profitable silage. This includes capturing silage with high energy content and minimising wastage.

Links to the original episodes have been included in the show notes for this episode which include links to some very useful resources.

Podcast links:

Podcast Episode 3 - Lowering total feed costs with good spring pasture management

Podcast Episode 24 - The economics of silage making

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The information discussed in this podcast are for informative and educational purposes only and do not constitute advice.