Animal Nutrition

Pasture feed value is measured in several ways, the most important being metabolisable energy (ME) and digestibility. ME is the more useful unit for many applications. Feed value matters, because it drives animal intake and performance.

The right feed allocation is necessary for quick lamb growth. This is the key driver when pasture quality is good, from autumn to mid-spring.

Lambs need high quality feed to grow quickly. The faster lambs grow, the greater their feed conversion efficiency.

Setting up for early spring is particularly important as kg lamb weaned is a key driver of profit.

Nitrate poisoning is caused by high nitrate levels in feed and is usually a problem in late autumn or winter, particularly during a flush of growth after a dry summer. Sheep, cattle, deer and goats can all be affected. Cattle are the most susceptible and sheep the least so. Nitrate poisoning can occur with short-term ryegrasses, oats, brassicas and occasionally other new pastures with a rapid growth rate.

Poor pasture palatability is caused by various factors, usually in combination. Your ryegrass cultivar is not one of them! Herbage tests can help identify where the help identify where the problem lies.

When winter pasture growth falls short of what is needed to keep animals well-fed, feed must be transferred from times when supply exceeds animal demand. This process entails considering many factors at all levels of the farm business, from day to day management to the overall farm system.