{"id":11458,"date":"2023-01-09T14:15:19","date_gmt":"2023-01-09T13:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socialagri.com\/agriFM\/?post_type=podcast&p=11458"},"modified":"2023-01-09T14:15:19","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T13:15:19","slug":"improving-feed-efficiency-in-dairy-cattle","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/socialagri.com\/agriFM\/podcast\/improving-feed-efficiency-in-dairy-cattle\/","title":{"rendered":"Improving feed efficiency in dairy cattle"},"content":{"rendered":"Considering that feed costs contribute up to 60% of production costs within dairy production, improving feed-to-milk efficiency can have a significant impact on dairy profitability<\/strong> .\r\n\r\nThere are several approaches to estimating feed efficiency in dairy cattle. One of these is the estimation of net feed efficiency, called Residual Feed Intake <\/strong><\/a>(RFI<\/strong>), and the challenges associated with its use to improve the feeding efficiency of growing heifers and lactating cows.\r\n\r\nHigher production per cow reduces the number of animals which are needed to produce the same amount of milk. This translates into:\r\n

\"\"Savings in feed costs<\/p>\r\n

\"\"Reducing the use of natural resources<\/p>\r\n

\"\"Reduced carbon footprint associated with dairy production (Capper et al<\/em>., 2009).<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nDairy production requires an initial time and investment of resources for heifer breeding prior to achieving a saleable dairy product.\r\n\r\n\"atenci\u00f3n\r\n\r\nEven more so, during their typical dry period of 60 days, cows consume feed without contributing to income. In fact, Schutz<\/em> (2002) estimates that about 23% to 28% of the total dry matter (DM) consumption of the herd is carried out by non-lactating animals. <\/strong>\r\n\r\nTherefore, there are opportunities to save on feed costs during these non-productive periods. Employing better herd management practices while only keeping those animals which are most efficient.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n Estimating feed efficiency in dairy cattle<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\n[register]Multiple terms have been used to define feed efficiency in dairy cattle. The simplest of which is GFE, expressed as:\r\n

“The relationship between milk production and feed input.”<\/u><\/p>\r\nTotal milk is normally standardized to milk components such as solid- or energy-corrected milk production.\r\n\r\nAlternatively, the efficiency of specific dietary nutrients can also be assessed. For example protein efficacy is calculated as:\r\n

“Milk protein yield per amount of CP intake”.<\/u><\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\nGFE (expressed as milk production over feed input) has a strong positive genetic correlation with milk production (Oldenbroek, 1989; Prendiville et al., 2009; Spurlock et al., 2012), which is already a primary goal of genetic improvement.\r\n