Cattle herd health and profitability linked, finds KW survey

Animal health and welfare is the key concern of UK cattle farmers – and as important as beef and milk prices – but environmental considerations are becoming increasingly important, finds a new survey.

Blends and co-product specialist KW Feeds, an AB Agri company, commissioned the research to help understand farmer attitudes to their dairy and beef herd management, feeding and feed strategies against the background of the unprecedented increases in feed and fertiliser costs during 2022.

The average response out of all those received ranked cow health as the most important factor for dairy farmers (18% of the sample), followed by milk price (15%), cow happiness (14%), milk yield (12%) and both carbon emissions and biodiversity at 5%. The average of beef producer responses put animal health at 20%, with beef price and animal happiness both scoring 16%, reduced days to finish (13%), carbon emissions (7%) and biodiversity at 6%.

Questioned on environmental goals, 81% of beef and dairy producers said the origin of feeds and carbon footprints was important, with 95% of that subset aiming to buy British where possible. The high figure was despite two-thirds of the survey sample not yet being required to meet sustainability requirements or environmental goals as part of their milk or meat contracts. The research highlighted that only 50% of those surveyed are currently being asked to have their on-farm carbon footprint audited – mainly through milk processor assessments.

Turning to feeding systems, 85% of the dairy farmers questioned incorporated grazing into their feeding system, with most of the beef farmers using grazing within the lifecycle of the animal.

The types of feeds used on farm was similar – dairy farmers mainly fed compounds (78%) and blends (59%) in their rations, while beef farmers mainly fed the materials in straight form (60%).
Despite the recent spiralling input and production costs, almost three-quarters (74%) of all cattle rearers were not planning to change their current feeds. Of the remaining 26% who were planning to make changes, almost half (47%) intended to use more grass and forage in rations, 21% to use more moist feeds, 14% to feed less straights and 14% to use better/cheaper alternatives. Including maize in the diet and reducing protein were each favoured by 5% of the sample.

“What this survey reveals is that – refreshingly – our farmers are recognising the direct correlation between a healthy, happy herd and a profitable herd,” observes KW Feeds ruminant technical manager Georgie Croxford.

But she does warn that the long, dry summer across much of the UK means that forage supplies are tight and silages are very variable as we move into the winter feeding period. “Forage does need to be supplemented with minerals, energy and protein sources,” she advises. “British co-products such as rapeseed expeller and wheat distillers can help improve protein utilisation and enable producers to make the most out of rations based on forage or grass silage.

“It has never been more important to maximise farm efficiency, and one way to do so is to make the most of forage,” Ms Croxford concludes. “Investing in the right complementary feeds will have a bigger positive impact on margins than trying to cut costs with cheaper or less feed.”

Animal health and welfare is the key concern of UK cattle farmers – and as important as beef and milk prices – but environmental considerations are becoming increasingly important, finds a new survey. Blends and co-product specialist KW Feeds, an AB Agri company,…