The high forage system
This is a Greenmount Campus Milk Technology Project in partnership with Richardsons Fertilizers. Both organisations have a common interest in developing the project as a means of demonstrating the skills necessary to utilise the full potential of grazed and quality silage thereby reducing the feeds cost in milk production. To demonstrate the impact of milk from forage on production costs, it is necessary to work alongside practical farmers to benchmark these costs. The 12 pilot farmers involved and the Greenmount Campus High Forage Herd comprise the 45 Hundred Club.
Project Aims
- To manage a herd of 80 cows to achieve targets as set out below by the end of the five year project time-span.
- To demonstrate the management necessary to achieve high levels of production from forage.
- To demonstrate the impact of achieving high levels of milk from forage on milk production costs in a commercial situation.
| Milk from forage (litres) | 4500 |
| Milk from grass (litres) | 3500 |
| Milk yield (litres) | 7000 |
| Concentrate feeding (kilos) | 1100 |
| Net production costs (ppl) | 11 |