Webinar: Regen for dairy farmers - Is a milk yield penalty inevitable when focusing on soil health?
In the latest in our winter webinar series, we heard from award-winning dairy farmers Kent Solberg and Doug Voss about the benefits of using a regenerative approach.
We were also joined by Dorset dairy farmer Stuart Rogers, who discussed how he has adopted some regenerative practices on his farm.
Kent says there are a number of changes dairy farmers can make which can cut costs and benefit livestock health.
“There is low hanging fruit that fits very well with developing soil health and which has huge potential for helping the bottom line in a dairy operation,” he says.
Heifer development and health
“Heifer development is a huge expenditure and we don't really see a return on investment until they hit the milk string in that herd,” he says.
“In fact, heifer development is the second largest dairy herd expenditure out there.”
However, research has shown that using a managed grazing system can reduce overall cost by 35 to 50 per cent per head and also that grazed animals have fewer health issues than those raised on a feedlot.
“Animals that are being grazed under a well managed system tend to stick around a lot longer in the herd and that has a significant impact on the cost of raising replacement heifers because the need becomes less over time”
“Animals that are being grazed under a well managed system tend to stick around a lot longer in the herd and that has a significant impact on the cost of raising replacement heifers because the need becomes less over time,” says Kent.
“In fact, for a lot of farms, this has been a huge cost saving and a way to maintain profitability and stay in farming.”
Weight gains and first lactation
Grazed animals were also shown to have achieved above average daily weight gains and produced around 835 litres more milk in their first lactation.
“On top of that, there’s potential for fewer health problems, lower cost to raise and potential increase in active milking life,” says Kent.
Reducing overheads by grazing on cover crops
Another study showed that grazing on cover crops cut daily costs per head from just over £3 a day to just under 50p.
“Maybe a cover crop won’t get the herd through the entire winter, but it will get them through a couple of months and it can be grazed earlier in the year and later in the summer and then be allowed to regrow and be grazed again,” says Kent.
“This can create some pretty significant cost savings for any dairy out there and we feel this has huge potential.”
The advantages of advanced multi-paddock grazing
Using an advanced multi-paddock (AMP), or mob grazing, system gives farmers an opportunity to make the most of the nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus being produced by the animals in their manure.
In pen scrapings and slurry 85% to 95% of the nitrogen is lost between leaving the cow and being spread on the field, as well as up to 100% of the potassium.
“In a well managed or adaptive managed grazing system we're capturing 90% to 95% of the nitrogen coming out to the back of the animal and upwards of 100% of the potassium,” says Kent.
“You can do the numbers for your own herd based on this and figure out what your potential losses are or what your gains might potentially be.”
Kent says bred heifers, in-calf heifers and dry cows are an excellent tool for AMP grazing as they can be moved regularly from paddock to paddock without being brought into the parlour to be milked.
As they move from paddock to paddock they trample their manure into the ground, feeding the soil biology and also help to keep it covered.
A comparison of different management methods showed that,over 10 years, a dairy operation integrating animals into its pasture management had grown the amount of organic matter in the soil from 1.5 per cent to 6.9 per cent. The soil had also achieved an infiltration rate of 50 cm per hour.
More nutritious forage = more nutritious milk
Higher organic matter and more active soil biology all contribute to a higher Brix reading in forage (a measure of components such as sugar, proteins and minerals).
An increased Brix reading is also associated with higher phytonutrient content. This is passed onto the animals when they eat the plants and humans when they consume the animals and their milk.
“In a diverse grassland pasture the phytonutrient content is much higher,” says Kent.
“Animals that eat a diet higher in phytonutrients produce greater richness in their meat and milk. We're producing better quality products this way.
“These phytonutrients are naturally occurring compounds derived from plants. They have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in both plants and animals.
“Inflammation is the cause of most chronic disease, so we can minimize this with nutrient dense or phytonutrient dense forages. This is one of the big reasons why animals are able to stay in the herd longer.
“Phytonutrients also enhance the absorption or stability of essential nutrients in the animal and provide positive gastrointestinal bacteria both in animals and humans.”
We provide mentoring in regenerative farming
When you join Regenerate Outcomes you will receive one-on-one, on-farm mentoring in soil health from experienced regenerative farmers.
We also baseline and measure soil carbon at no upfront cost.
Download our Programme Handbook to find out more.