Dairy Feeding to Improve Profitability, Manure Management and Water Quality

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Dairy Feeding to Improve Profitability, Manure
Management and Water Quality

• Kelly ONeill
• Agriculture Policy Specialist
• Harrisburg, PA
• koneill_at_cbf.org

Chesapeake Bay Foundation
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Challenges to livestock producers

• The Lower Susquehanna basin generates about
  300,000 tons of excess manure beyond crop needs
  in same county.
• Nutrient Management Plans must now address
  phosphorus, so manure cant be applied on some
  fields with high levels.
• Need ways to reduce manure management challenges
  while maintaining/improving profitability

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Cost-Effective Strategies Needed

• Chesapeake Bay Commission highlighted most likely
  sources of nutrient reductions at the lowest
  cost
• Wastewater treatment plant upgrades
• Diet and feed adjustments
• Traditional nutrient management
• Enhanced nutrient management (yield reserve)
• Conservation Tillage
• Cover crops

Cost-Effective Strategies for the Bay 6 Smart
Investments for Nutrient and Sediment Reduction,
Chesapeake Bay Commission, December 2004.
Cost-Effective Strategies for the Bay 6 Smart
Investments for Nutrient and Sediment Reduction,
Chesapeake Bay Commission, December 2004.
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Cost-effective reduction of manure impacts

• By far, the most cost-effective way to minimize
  the environmental impact of the large volumes of
  manure generated within the watershed is through
  adjusting feed formulation for poultry and
  livestock Nitrogen reductions of 3050 percent
  and phosphorus reductions of 4060 percent are
  achievable using a variety of diet modification
  techniques for poultry, dairy, cattle and swine.
• Cost-Effective Strategies for the Bay 6 Smart
  Investments for Nutrient and Sediment Reduction,
  Chesapeake Bay Commission, December 2004.

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University of Pennsylvanias New Bolton Center

• Forage and feed analysis
• Manure and urine analysis
• Milk Urea Nitrogen (MUN) testing
• Ration formulation to maintain production and
  reproductive health
• 60 herds over 3 years
• Hands-on TA for farm and nutritionist

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Penn State University Cooperative Extension

• Bottlenecks Tool helps dairy producers identify
  impediments to profitability on whole farm
• Addresses herd nutrition and nutrient management
  in broader context
• Workshops for agricultural professionals
• Educational materials

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Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Center
for Dairy Excellence

• Profit teams with various agricultural
  professionals (nutritionist, nutrient management
  planner, banker, veterinarian, others) work
  together to assist producer improve profitability
• Way to identify farms that could benefit from
  precision feeding

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Potential impacts

• 30 reduction 63 lb. N and 25 lb. P2O5 per cow
  per year
• 60 farms with 300 cows in project annual
  reduction of 1,134,000 lb. N and 453,600 lb. P2O5
  
• Trib Strategy goal 75 of cows in watershed
  approximately 24 million lb. N and 9.5 million
  lbs P2O5 per year

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Current progress

• 16 farms (including 1 Amish farm) committed to
  project
• Adams, York, Lancaster, Chester, and Bedford,
  plus Franklin and/or Blair Counties
• Herd sizes range from 45-50 cows to over 500
  cows.
• Several more farms interested
• About 9 different nutritionists are involved.

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Initial experiences

• One farm is saving about 68 cents/cow/day on
  feed, while increasing milk fat and protein.
• Another farm has high moisture corn that isn't
  processed very well so the protein in the feed
  isn't being efficiently.
• Another farm has beans that aren't roasted very
  well so the proteins also aren't used very
  efficiently.

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Project monitoring

• Feed costs
• Production
• Herd health
• Whole-farm mass nutrient balance
• Overall nutrient inputs and outputs, including
  fertilizers applied, milk and other products
  sold, manure used on the farm and exported