Latest Owl Farm Data


4/01/2021

Week ending 4-1-21 farm notes:

Data 4-1-21

Wedge 5-1-21

 

FARM PERFORMANCE

PGR this week is 42kgDM/ha/day which is equal to our current demand on pasture. APC continues to drop slightly to 2011 kgDM/ha. Cows are currently getting 2kgDM silage, 2kgPK and 0.5-1kg crop. We have had a slight lift in production as the cows have settled into the 3 n 2 milking and supplement routine. Crop feeding levels will be increased over the next 7 days to 4kgDM/cow/day. Turnips will be yielded on the 11th Jan. As crop feeding increases we will slow the round down to 35-40 days.  This will help to fill the gap we see coming through in the wedge with up to 8 kgDM of supplement being feed and pasture demand dropping to 10-11kgDM/cow/day.  This will drop our pre-grazing target down to 2600-2700kgDM/ha aligned with the pasture supply available and increase the grazing interval.

We received a welcome 15mm of rain this week which the Kale will make the most of having received its last dressing of N last week.

Sprinklers are being used at the 11am and 6pm milkings to cool the cows and paddocks with shade offered after the 5am milking to help during these hot humid days.

Pasture production this season until the end of 2020 is 11.1tDM/ha (69% of our average annual growth). So far we have grown 469kgDM/ha more pasture (from farmwalk data) than last year.  Total rainfall for 2020 was a low 766mm similar to last season’s 711mm but well below our average of 1136mm. While we exceeded last years and our production targets for September and October we have struggled to catchup from a delayed PSC and slower calving. Milk solids sent to the factory at 31st Dec was 810kgMS/ha which was the same as last season but below our Wagon wheel KPI of 850kgMS/ha. November production had a significant drop and while December production was back on target we are still chasing 2,500kgMS over and above our target monthly production to achieve 1215 kgMS/ha and 430kgMS/cow for the season. This can be achieved if we can maintain an average of 350 cows in milk for the next 4 months producing 1.4kgMS/cow/day. Budgeting through Farmax shows that we have enough feed available to do this if we can maintain PGR over 20kgDM/ha for the next 4 months (last year we averaged 16kgDM/ha growth and the 2 years before it was 32kgDM/ha).

We have used 77 kg N/ha so far compared with 102 kg N/ha last season. 92 tDM of supplement has been used to date compared with 80 tDM last season. Silage made to the end of 2020 is 117 tDM compared with 144 tDM silage made to the end of 2019.

In summary - The first half of the 2020 season is best described by trying to manage a warm dry spring with volatile PGR, slower start to the season, higher peak production, less N used to grow more feed with less silage made and more supplements feed finishing with a similar APC at the end of the year.

December rain has left the farm in a slightly better soil moisture position than last season (31% vs 26%). Along with crops looking great, good cow health and BCS, and the bunkers full of feed, we are in a better position than this time last year and we are looking forward to making the most of what the summer may bring!

Hope you are all making the most of the conditions to set your farm up and ensure everyone one has some relaxing and well deserved time off.

Cheers Jo + Tom





Owl Farm Data Records 2017-18 Season







Milk Production - Week ending 30/11/2020 7/12/2020 14/12/2020 21/12/2020 28/12/2020 4/01/2021 Variance
Cow's in milk 405 405 395 395 395 395 -
Springer herd/dry cows 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
Number of cows in big herd 250 235 235 235 235 240 -
Number of cows in small herd 150 153 153 153 153 150 -
Number of cows in colostrum herd 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
Number of Cows in the Treatment/Sick herd 5 7 7 7 7 5 -2
KgMS/cow/day (cows in the vat only) 1.69 1.60 1.65 1.63 1.60 1.71 +.04
KgMS/cow YTD 239.00 250.00 261.00 272.00 282.00 294.00 -21
Milk production for week ending (kgMS) 4730.00 4487.00 4536.00 4469.00 4158.00 4676.00 +70
Total milk production - YTD (kgMS) 96733.00 101220.00 105756.00 110225.00 114383.00 119059.00 -8713
Milk production per ha (kgMS/ha/day) 4.60 4.40 4.50 4.40 4.10 4.70 +.1
Total milk production per ha - YTD (kgMS/ha/YTD) 672.00 703.00 734.00 765.00 794.00 827.00 -60
Protein/Fat ratio 0.76 0.76 0.75 0.75 0.73 0.71 -
Bulk Milk SCC (SCC x 1000) 138 130 105 120 114 139 +12




Animal Health - Week ending 30/11/2020 7/12/2020 14/12/2020 21/12/2020 28/12/2020 4/01/2021 Variance
BCS (average whole herd) 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 -
BCS (average heifers) 4.70 4.70 4.70 4.70 4.70 4.70 -
Treatment/sick herd 5 7 2 7 7 5 -2
Lame cows - new cases 1 0 2 0 0 2 +2
Lame cows - YTD 31 31 33 33 33 35 -2
Mastitis - new cases 0 1 0 3 0 0 -2
Mastitis - YTD 39 40 40 43 43 43 -6
Number of cows on penicillin 0 1 0 3 0 0 -2
Number of cows on penicillin YTD 55 56 56 59 59 59 -6
Culls - new cases 0 10 0 0 0 0 -
Culls - YTD 6 16 16 16 16 16 -
Deaths - new cases 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
Deaths - YTD 4 4 4 4 4 4 -




Pasture Production - Week ending 30/11/2020 7/12/2020 14/12/2020 21/12/2020 28/12/2020 4/01/2021 Variance
Average pasture cover (kgDM/ha) 2144 2366 2317 2246 2093 2011 -172
Average pasture growth rates (kgDM/day) 72 77 70 40 43 42 +1
Lowest post graze residual (kgDM/ha) 1500 1500 1500 1500 1400 1400 -100
Highest pre graze cover (kgDM/ha) 2700 2700 2800 2900 2800 2800 -400
Average area grazed/day for milkers (ha) 6.00 6.30 6.00 5.40 5.00 5.20 +2.5
Round length 22 21 22 24 26 26 -23
Total Biomass Measured (kgDM) )




Supplementary Use - Week ending 30/11/2020 7/12/2020 14/12/2020 21/12/2020 28/12/2020 4/01/2021 Variance
Average PKE (kg/cow/day) 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.50 3.00 2.00 -
PKE YTD 54.90 56.90 58.90 62.10 70.40 75.90 -11
Average maize (kg/cow/day) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -
Maize YTD 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -
Average silage (kg/cow/day) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 -1.5
Silage usage YTD 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.00 16.80 -12.4
Silage Harvested Tonnes (DM) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -
Total Supplement Feed (per cow kgDM) 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.50 21.00 28.00 -24.5
Total Supplement YTD (Tonnes) 68.90 70.90 72.90 76.10 84.40 103.20 -37.4


Nitrogen and Gibberellic Acid - Week ending 30/11/2020 7/12/2020 14/12/2020 21/12/2020 28/12/2020 4/01/2021 Variance
kgN applied per ha/% of farm 0.00 KgN/ 0.00 % 0.00 KgN/ 0.00 % 0.00 KgN/ 0.00 % 0.00 KgN/ 0.00 % 0.00 KgN/ 0.00 % 0.00 KgN/ 0.00 % 0.00 %
kgN applied YTD (average kgN/ha) 76.60 76.60 76.60 76.60 76.60 76.60 -
GA applied (20gm/ha) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -
Effluent applied            
Effluent Applied y/n N N N Y Y N -
Paddocks effluent applied 0 0 0 2 2 0 -
Application Depth (mm) 0.00 0.00 0.00 18.00 18.00 0.00 -




Climate - Week ending 7/12/2020 8/12/2020 14/12/2020 21/12/2020 28/12/2020 4/01/2021 Variance
Temperature (ave. °C) 15.30 16.19 18.20 19.50 16.10 17.50 -4
Rainfall 2.50 5.00 10.60 0.00 15.60 15.20 +6.8
Rainfall Season-to-Date 455.40 457.90 466.00 466.00 481.60 496.80 -21.8
Soil temperature (ave. °C at 10cm depth) 19.75 17.78 21.90 21.50 20.50 21.50 -.5
Soil Moisture(% at 10cm depth) 33.40 33.40 31.00 31.60 31.20 30.00 +3

Extra/Correlation Graphs



















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