Hello, I’m Bruce Reynolds from Reynolds Communication. The following podcast is an initiative of the NSW Department of Primary Industries Dairy Industry Group. I am talking with Brett Davidson, Livestock Officer for dairy with the NSW Department of Primary Industries at Deniliquin and today we are discussing protein levels in wheat as a feed grain.

Brett how is the grain harvest going this year and what is the grain quality like this season from a dairying perspective?

We have had a soft finish to the winter crop harvest, so yields are coming into what most cropping farmers have expected. Screenings have been low, but unfortunately low protein has been order of the harvest right across the board for oats, barley and wheat.

Will the low protein in wheat be an issue for dairy farmers, and how will that affect the ration for dairy cattle?

Given that wheat is the main component of a supplementary ration for dairy herds, the low protein weight will be an issue. So rations will require a higher level of supplementation with a protein source to make milk a quality ration. Most wheat this year is falling into the ASW 1 standard specification this season, and they’re not making the higher grades because the protein is below 10%. ASW has no minimum protein requirement, so when buying – some loads will be a lot more expensive than others as they could test anywhere from between 5% to 10% protein. Dairy cows need between 12% and 16% protein in their diet depending on their stage of lactation, young stock and growing stock that are developing have a similar requirement. So the low protein could be a bigger issue on some farms that are grazing millet and sorghum, or have a cereal and corn based silage as part of their summer feeding program. In these instances, these herds will have to increase their protein supplementation to achieve a balanced diet. This could make balancing the diet very expensive.

You talk about alternative protein sources, but what can be used this year to try and get that balance in the ration?

Whole cotton seed is very popular this year, and the prices are very attractive at around $240 a tonne ex works. But whole cotton seed can only be fed up to 2.5 kilos a day. Above this level cattle can become very sick as the high oil content is very hard for them to process. There may not be enough protein in there to supplement the diet to the appropriate level. The most popular source of protein is canola meal and it is an excellent source of protein. It is currently running about $340 a tonne ex works, but when you have got to start adding this into the ration it will increase the cost. Lupins are another option, but they are in very short supply and it looks like that won’t be an option.

So looking at producers that are having to purchase in their grain, what can they do to minimise risk when they purchase in fodder?

Oh the magic words “feed test” “feed test” “feed test” – grain should be tested before it comes on the property and it should have the appropriate grades assigned to it so you know all farmers need to be aware that there are national standards available, and you can get a copy of the Australian Grain Standards at www.graintrade.org.au and this is all the standards for all the wheats, and all your grains, and it is also the new name for the old MACMA grain trading standards that most people will be familiar with.

The other option is that the NSW Department of Primary Industries as a feed laboratory at Wagga Wagga and they can do the testing there and provide very fast, quick information. For information on how to test and for test bags, you can go to the NSW Department of Primary industries website (www.dpi.nsw.gov.au) and just type in “feed quality service” and all the information is there on line.

Some farmers may be looking to change to barley if the price difference is enough. Do you think barley will be a cheaper option this season?

This year is going to be one of those when you really will have to do a feed test to find out. There is F1 barley - currently is cheaper than ASW wheat by about $30 a tonne, but F1 barley can have up to an extra 15% screenings. The screenings aren’t usually processed by on farm feed mills and that grain tends to be wasted with most of it being unprocessed and passing straight through the cow. Where with the ASW it only has a 5% screening level. F1 barley also has no minimum protein level, the same as ASW but the reports are at the silos that the barley protein levels are actually coming in lower than wheat, so with the potential higher screenings and lower protein, wheat might look to be better but only a feed test will be able to tell which one will be the better option.

So you’re take home message from this discussion?

This is one that we belt farmers over the head a bit, but “feed test” “feed test” “feed test” and make sure you get what you’ve paid for. So cheap loads of feed may be just that, cheap loads of feed and they might work out to be very expensive in the long run. And just to remember that if they want more information visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au and select Ag NSW and click on “D” for dairy.

Brett Davidson, Livestock Officer for dairy with the NSW Department of Primary Industries at Deniliquin, thanks for talking to us today.

Thank you.

For this podcast, and many more podcasts, fact sheets and videos, I encourage you to visit the NSW DPI website and click on dairy.