Grazed grass is a vital component of many dairy farm businesses. However the nutritional value of grass can vary significantly week to week throughout the grazing season. Since 2020 Lakeland Agri have joined forces with Trouw nutrition to collect weekly information on grass quality throughout the season on dairy farms across Ireland to help farmers make the most of grazed grass in dairy cow diets.

Each week grass samples are taken from grazing paddocks on approximately 15 farms across the island of Ireland and sent for analysis. Samples are analysed for key nutritional parameters including dry matter, protein, oil, fibre and metabolisable energy levels using near infrared spectroscopy techniques. This up-to-date information is then used by the Lakeland team when reviewing dairy cow diets on farm and allows for feeding levels and concentrate recommendations to be adjusted in response to changes in grass quality.
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Pre-cut ensilability testing is also available for all Lakeland Agri customers. Silage quality is influenced heavily by grass conditions at cutting time. Grass silage samples can be collected by a Lakeland Agri rep prior to harvest and analysed for nitrate and sugar content to check whether the crop is suitable for ensiling. 
 

Lakeland farmers produce over 2.7 million tonnes of silage each year providing a key forage source for livestock during the winter months. Over the years, Lakeland Agri have been working closely with farmers to maximise both the quantity and quality of the silage they produce, driving improvements both in the field and at the feed fence. 

Once silages are in the clamp, forages can be analysed by one of our fully accredited partner labs or on-farm by the use of near infrared technology. With silage being such a crucial component of dairy cow diets, having regular up-to-date analysis is vital. Using these results, in combination with diet software, changes can be made to ration formulations and ration amounts in real time throughout the lactation to maximise overall animal performance.

Accounting for the mineral levels in forages is essential to providing livestock with a balanced diet as an excess of some minerals and low levels of others can impact on their health, fertility and production potential. Meeting the cow’s mineral requirements is particularly important during the dry cow period and in early lactation to ensure optimum health status for both cows and calves. 
Lakeland carries out detailed forage mineral analysis on both grazed and ensiled forages to identify of any potential mineral imbalances that might exist. Using this information, specialised diets can be formulated to meet individual farm mineral requirements.