TOTH E6 - Foraging for the missing dry matter

In this episode of the Think Outside The Herd podcast we explore the The Diet We Design, The Diet We FeedWith feed being the single biggest cost on dairy farms and with feed efficiency being a major lever for profitability, it is one that deserves a great deal of attention.

In this episode of the Think Outside The Herd podcast we explore the value of benchmarking.Benchmarking you herd against other herds can highlight some key focus areas and also demonstrate what is possible. In this episode we discuss teh value of benchmarking and give some examples.Please visit: https://interherd-tracker.com/

In this episode of the Think Outside The Herd podcast we explore the dry period.Analysis of Tracker data is highlighting three key areas that could improve productivity and profitability. Tune in to find out what these are...

Today’s challenge, is to :consider the use of eating and rumination monitoringtechnologies. In this episode we will review the data that these systems provide and weigh up the pro’s and con’s. We will also talk about what intakes and good rumination should look like. Referenced Melbourne Paper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWOkP2GpYGM&t=381s

Today’s challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to :Review your current milk fat production and determine the value of increasing your milk fat contract. For very many farms milk fat levels are not optomised against their milk contract. In this episode we discuss the value of milk fat and the factors that affect it's production.Dairy Club Milk Price Calc: https://dairyclub.tech/milk-price-calculator/

Today’s challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to :Review plans for the next 6 to 12 months given that volatility is on the horizon.Milk prices are under downward pressure, production is causing dairies to consider A & B pricing mechanisms, customers are finding beef too pricey. All of these and more are signalling more volatility in the market. Listen in to find out more.

Today’s challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to ask:Is AI at the centre of your dAIry?Given the complexity of dairy farming AI offers some significant benefits. In this episode we explore the use of AI and give some practical tips on adopting it's use.https://chatgpt.com/

Today’s challenge, should you choose to accept it, is toask: are you operating at the right signal-to-noise ratio?So what is signal to noise?Every day we’re faced with huge amounts of information. It could be globalnews, market trends, or data from our own farm businesses. What we need todecide is how much of that information is a signal, something that moves our goals forward, and how much is just noise?

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it... ...is to challenge the cause of ripples on your dairy farmBy ripples, we meant the consequenses of events or actions which result in effects, big and small, that last for a long time after the initial event.With each event you are throwing a rock into an otherwise calm pond. Listen in to hear more...

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it... ...is to forage for the missing dry matter on your farm.There are potentially tens of thousands of pounds worth of dry matter that are lost on your farm. In this episode we calculate what that tonnage might be and discuss where it might be hiding.Utilised DM tool: https://dairyclub.tech/utilised-dry-matter/DM Losses tool: https://dairyclub.tech/dry-matter-losses/