General
Hold rotation length of 32-35 days
Maintain a minimum of 18 day return time for new grass paddocks
Have narrowed the list of paddocks for aeration - criteria include season to date pasture growth, soil structure, year of establishment and notes from farmwalks in spring
Will close the silage stack and use PKE to top up any shortfall in the Standard herds
Move copper sulphate mat to the exit race and assess if it stays cleaner than in the entrance to the platform
Purchased baleage to be distributed evenly around wintering paddocks, better quality batches to be prioritised to the Future herd
Standard herd
Direct supplementary feed costs from last week = $2.33/cow/day and $16.20 estimated milk revenue
30 cows removed from the milking herd went on Monday - lowest producing empties, Johnes positive, staph positive and discretionary removals based on our seven criteria
8 high genetic merit animals to be identified to move to the Future herd for next season to make up wintering numbers and allow us to mantain genetic gain in the Future herd
New herds established - Standard 1 = lighter early calving in one herd Standard 2 = heavier, later calvers
Standard 1 herd will be prioritised to the better quality pasture paddocks
Decrease inshed feeding to Standard 2 to 2 kg DM/cow/day
Future herd
Current direct supplementary feed costs - $1.26/cow/day and $18.30 estimated milk revenue
Decrease inshed feeding to 2 kg DM/cow and reassess based on residuals; no silage required
8 of the lowest producing empty cows removed on Monday, based on age, udder, mastitis status and lameness
Last silage cut from winter italian paddocks to be done before 25 April to allow pregraze cover of 2800 by 1 June
