NI dairy farms must grow more grass

Dairy farmers in NI need to grow and utilise more grass to increase milk from forage levels, Agri Food and Biosciences (AFBI) chief executive Sinclair Mayne has said.

Speaking at AFBI’s major dairy open day at Hillsborough on Wednesday, Mayne pointed out that average milk yield per cow in NI has increased from 5,000l to 7,200l over the past 20 years, mainly through feeding more concentrates.

We have to re-focus on getting more milk from grass and silage

“We have to re-focus on getting more milk from grass and silage. Whether you have a low-input or a high-input system, milk from forage is a key driver of profitability,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that while many spring-calving dairy farms can deliver 4,000 to 5,000l from forage, this can remain a challenge for autumn-calving systems.

Instead, the AFBI chief said that all dairy systems should be aiming to achieve an average grass yield of 12tDM/ha/year, with 10tDM/ha/year of this utilised through grazing or silage cutting.

Soils

Also featured at the open day were the results from the soil sampling scheme funded through the EU Exceptional Aid Package last winter. According to Dr Suzanne Higgins, the work has highlighted a wide range in soil nutrient status.

She said 43% of all grassland in NI requires lime to increase soil pH levels and 20% of dairy farms in the soil sampling scheme had a potassium deficiency which can supress grass yields by up to 30%. On the other hand, one-third had excessive potassium levels in soils.

Only 15% of dairy farms were deficient in phosphorus, but 50% had excessive levels with soil indexes of three or above. “Within individual farms, most farms tend to have fields that are a lot higher than others,” she added.

Speaking at the end of the event, AFBI deputy chief executive Elizabeth Magowan said that while ammonia emissions has been the main environmental focus for NI agriculture recently, phosphorus in soils and waterways remains a key issue.

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Milk from forage drives profitability