Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
      • Whatever happened to?
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • National Arable and Grassland Awards
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. July 2025 issue
      2. June 2025 issue
      3. Cereals event guide 2025
      4. May 2025 issue
      5. April 2025 issue
      6. March 2025 issue
      7. 2025 Tyre Developments supplement
      8. February 2025 issue
      9. National Arable and Grassland Awards supplement
      10. January 2025 issue
      11. December 2024 issue
      12. November 2024 issue
      13. October 2024 issue
      14. September 2024 issue
      15. August 2024 Issue
      16. 2024 Drills and Seeds supplement
      17. July 2024 Issue
      18. Cereals Supplement
      19. June 2024 Issue
      20. May 2024 Issue
      21. April 2024 Issue
      22. Tyres and Tracks Supplement
      23. March 2024 Issue
      24. National Arable & Grassland Award – Meet the Finalists
      25. February 2024 Issue
      26. January 2024 Issue
      27. December 2023
      28. Agritechnica Preview Supplement
      29. November 2023
      30. October 2023
      Featured

      July 2025 issue available now

      By Matthew TiltJuly 9, 2025
      Recent

      July 2025 issue available now

      July 9, 2025

      Cereals event guide 2025 available now

      June 20, 2025

      June 2025 issue available now

      June 2, 2025
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Dairy

    Unbalanced nutrient supply could cut milk value this summer

    chrislyddonBy chrislyddonApril 23, 20152 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    Failing to balance the nutrients in grazed grass this summer could see milk fat content drop 0.25 percentage points and milk price cut 0.4-0.6ppl, according to KW nutritionist Mark Scott.

    “DEFRA figures show national herd butterfats dropping from just under 4.10% pre-turnout to 3.80-3.85% by July in each of the last two years,” he states. “That’s a potential loss of around £1,000/month for a 200 cow herd averaging 27‑28 litres/cow.”

    Further losses can come from the high levels of rumen degradable protein (RDP) in summer grass. Excess protein not captured by rumen microbes is excreted as urea, losing not only valuable protein but also the energy required to excrete it, equivalent to as much as 1‑3 litres/cow.

    “Focus on properly balancing nutrient supply in the rumen to maximise conversion of all feed – including grazed grass – into milk and optimise milk value,” Mr Scott explains.

    “Feeding 1-2kg FW of hay or baled silage will help sustain butterfats, for example, as will partially replacing cereals with soya hulls or sugar beet feed. And liquid feeds like Rouxminate and Molale can supply extra energy to balance grass RDP, whilst also boosting palatability, lifting intakes and supplying sugars to help drive forage fermentation in the rumen.”

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticlePrevention is essential as blowfly season starts, sheep farmers warned
    Next Article John Deere and Michelin to showcase how best practice and understanding of technology improve tractor performance
    chrislyddon

    Read Similar Stories

    Hi-Spec to introduce new diet feeder at Royal Highland

    June 16, 2025

    Lely introduces the Vector MFR Next

    April 3, 2025

    Palm-free fat supplement helps dairy farms to cut CO2

    March 31, 2025
    Most Read Stories

    Versatile dribble bar provides precise application

    July 9, 2025

    Focus on farm safety with new award

    July 9, 2025

    Sheep-dipping business helps fight scab

    July 9, 2025
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

    Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • Farmers Weekly
    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.