Adjusting for dry matter puts Brandville Farms in control
Steve and Mary Brand of Ellsworth, WI recently installed the dg precisionFEEDING™ System at Brandville Dairy, on their 875 cow operation. Fully operational on March 1, 2012 they are already realizing many benefits from adjusting rations for dry matter in real time.
Download case study .pdf Steve and Mary Brand of Ellsworth, WI recently installed the dg precisionFEEDING™ System at Brandville Dairy, on their 875 cow operation. Fully operational on March 1, 2012 they are already realizing many benefits from adjusting rations for dry matter in real time.
Download case study .pdf Brandville Dairy Benefits
“By adjusting for dry matter the bunks are never empty and we have an even refusal rate.”
“Our feeders know that I can tell what they are feeding. The accuracy has greatly improved. Before installing the dg precisionFEEDING system, I really didn’t know what they were putting into the mixer. We are within $20.00 of optimum per batch now.” Aiding the Nutritionist
“Our nutritionist gets an accurate dry matter intake that he can then use to fine tune the ration and help push the cows more.”
“The dg precisionFEEDING System has helped us adjust our protein mix and save on our commodities. With the accuracy, we can fine tune the ration and not have to add extra in case we are off.”
“When we get a rain event, even though we have not had many, we don’t have to guess how to adjust the ration. The system does it and keeps the ration consistent. We don’t have to think about how more haylage or more corn silage is changing the ration for protein or starch.”Saving on Overall Feed Costs
“I like the fact I can see the feed cost per cow per day. It is a good reminder of how much it really cost to feed the cows. With high feed costs it has really shown us how important high quality forages are. Before, we did not know if it was feed or other influences that were causing a change or holding back production.”
“As feed costs go up this pays for itself faster. We are able to really be more accurate on the ration and we know that the cows are actually getting what the ration calls for.” Ease of Use
“Our feeders took right off with it and the TopScale™ is easy to use and understand. The learning curve was quick.”
“The software is easy to use and to get the information I need. I am looking forward to getting more information as we continue to use the program. This year as we harvest, for example, I will be able to enter the forage inventories. The program will take off the amount fed and I will know how much feed I have and what my shrink is.”
“The support from dg was very good. If anything did not seem to be working right, they fixed the problem.”
Final Thoughts
“We have not had the system that long, but as time goes I am sure that we will continue to see a milk increase and save on our forage and protein costs. With a more consistent ration, the rumen will work better and not have the ups and downs.”