IDEAS TO REDUCE COSTS
With low milk prices, farmers are receptive to ideas for reducing costs. Often their first question is, "How can I lower feed cost?" There are a number of other areas where costs can be cut. The ideas are listed to spark your thinking and perhaps provide two or three per farm which could be implemented to help our customers.
COWS AND MILKING MANAGEMENT
- Have equipment serviceman "tune up" milking system.
- Cull cows losing money when milk produced is less than feed and maintenance costs.
- Do not breed cows to be culled.
- Withhold milk from high SCC cows so you get milk-quality bonuses.
- Cull chronic-mastitis cows; re-evaluate control practices with vet, and aggressively correct problems-teat dip, dry-cow treat, etc.
- Consider 3X milking (15% more milk), if labor is available.
- Invest in a heat reclaimer on bulk tanks to generate hot water.
- Don’t use excessive cleaning/sanitizing chemicals.
- Body-condition score-target 3.5 to 4.0 at dry-off. Put on weight in late lactation with extra forage and low-cost grains. Don’t over-condition.
HERD REPLACEMENTS
- Maximize use of colostrum; don’t feed salable milk. Use Milk Replacer.
- Wean at four weeks instead of six or eight weeks.
- Test forage and balance rations for replacements and dry cows.
- Increase forage fed; reduce grain where possible. Include Deccox and Bovatec in rations.
- Maximize pasture use-but be sure to supplement as needed and control parasites.
- Feed leftovers and feed-refusals from cows, but only if infectious disease is eliminated.
- Freshen heifers at 22 to 25 months at 1,250 pounds.
- Keep only the best heifers; sell others before weaning.
GENETICS/REPRODUCTION/HEALTH
- Intensify heat detection; breed on standing heats to maximize fertility.
- Cull chronic repeat-breeder cows.
- Keep calving interval at 13 months or less.
- Review use of repro hormones and milk-progesterone testing with vet to determine profitability.
- Buy only as much semen as you can use in six months; buy from reputable sources.
- Use all AI sires with high PTA dollars and reliability.
- If on DHI, enroll in young-sire testing programs to receive good genetics at greatly-reduced semen costs.
- Continue a complete vaccination program.
- Get a second opinion from another vet when in doubt.
FEEDING AND NUTRITION
- Use at least two milking rations-basal and challenge; use Pennfield Bin Program.
- Buy bulk calf and dry-cow feeds whenever possible.
- Grain bank to take advantage of market changes.
- Introduce urea in corn silage/hay rations.
- Reduce feed waste-check hay feeders, feedbunks, leaky water bowls, rodent and bird control, etc.
- Measure forage and dry-matter intake. Increase amounts of high-quality forage and save grain, especially on lower producers.
- Recalibrate grain-feeder-delivery rates in parlors, computers, scoops, etc. Recheck scale accuracy on mixers.
- Stop using questionable additive packs--5 or 6 cents/cow/day adds up if there is no benefit. Check if they are beneficial by removing from the diet for three weeks and watching response.
SUMMARY
When challenged to reduce feed costs, remember a number of other areas should also be reviewed. Cutting feed costs only makes sense if profit goes up because production holds. Many of the non-feed items listed will save money while having no effect or, in some cases, resulting in increased production if benefits result in milk premiums.
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