Taking an accurate inventory of forage stocks is an essential step in guaranteeing the health and performance of your animals, while ensuring that they have sufficient, high-quality feed. Knowing exactly how much feed is available and what your herd's feed requirements are enables you to better plan harvests, reduce feed purchase costs and avoid shortages.
The challenges of on-farm forage inventory
Complex and variable food management
One of the greatest challenges for agricultural producers is to ensure that their livestock receive sufficient quality feed throughout the year. Indeed, forage yields can be influenced by a number of often unpredictable factors, including :
- Climatic hazards Weather conditions have a major influence on crop quality and yield. Prolonged drought, for example, can significantly reduce yields, while harsh winters can lead to increased prairie mortality.
- Input costs Fertilizers are essential for maintaining the productivity of meadows and pastures. Their cost can represent a major economic constraint, forcing producers to make strategic choices.
- Silage losses Many factors can lead to silage losses, such as :
- The introduction of harmful bacteria into storage areas.
- Poorly controlled humidity levels (too high or too low).
- Inadequate hash length.
- Introduction of oxygen or inadequate management when opening silos.
How do you calculate your inventories and make sure you don't run out of forage?
The forage balance is an essential tool for assessing whether a farm has sufficient stocks to feed its animals throughout the year. This calculation involves determining the quantities of forage available and comparing them with the herd's expected annual consumption. Carried out rigorously, it enables you to anticipate any need to purchase forage, and thus better plan the management of feed resources.
The 4 steps to a forage balance sheet
- Evaluate available stocks of stored forage
Start by making an inventory of the quantities of forage already stored on the farm (number of round or square bales, volumes in horizontal and vertical silos, etc.). To simplify this step, use a suitable calculator, such as a Excel to evaluate your inventory. - Assess the yield potential of your upcoming crops
Add to this stock the quantities still to be harvested for the year, based on projected yields. Apply a safety margin by subtracting 10 % from total stocks to compensate for potential losses related to storage and silo recovery. - Measure the quantity and type of forage consumed by your animals
To fine-tune your forecasts, accurately measure forage stocks as they are used. Take into account :- Batch yield and dry matter (DM) content.
- The number of animals on the farm and the groups to which they belong (lactating cows, dry cows, replacements, etc.).
- Voluntary daily dry matter consumption by group of animals.
- Estimate herd feed requirements on an annual basis
To estimate the herd's annual requirements :- From your daily recipes, multiply the daily ration (in dry matter) by 365 days for each group of animals.
- If you do not know the voluntary dry matter consumption (VDMC) of your animals, refer to the average annual consumption table (Holstein) produced by Lactanet which takes into account the physiological stage of the animals. Multiply this value by the number of animals in the group.
- Add up the quantity of forage consumed annually by each group.
- Estimate your company's food autonomy
Compare herd requirements with available stocks to calculate the number of days of feed autonomy remaining. This can be done using the following formula: ((available stocks (t DM) + projected stocks (t DM)) / herd's annual forage consumption) x 365 days.
Estimate the date when stocks will be exhausted by adding the number of days of food self-sufficiency to the current date.
What to do in the event of a forage shortage?
If your forage stocks are insufficient to meet your herd's feed requirements, there are several strategies you can consider. Watch this video to find out how.
How the MSF platform can help you evaluate your inventories
Mon Système Fourrager has been designed to provide a comprehensive decision-support tool, specifically designed to facilitate the management of your herd. One of its key features is the interactive "Silage Management" tab, which, among other things, makes it easy to draw up a forage balance sheet for your farm. Good forage stock management is essential to ensure adequate feed for your animals and avoid shortages.
Draw up your forage balance sheet
- Evaluate your available forage stocks
Register your storage structures and specify silo dimensions or number of bales.
Assign a food batch to a storage structure and specify the space it occupies within it. - Create a food group
Add batches with equivalent nutritional values to the same group. - Create an animal group
Group the animals according to their physiological stage and indicate the number of animals in each group.
Assign one or more feed lots to a group of animals, and specify the daily consumption of the typical animal. By integrating your current ration data, the platform automatically calculates the CVMS for each group. - Calculation of inventory end date
The tool uses this data to estimate the exact date when each batch will be sold out.
See how My Forage System can help you assess your company's forage requirements.
Careful management of forage stocks is essential to ensure adequate feed for animals throughout the year. Good planning ensures that the feed available in stock will be sufficient to cover the animals' forage requirements, despite the vagaries of the weather and the economy. Thanks to tools such as the forage balance and digital solutions such as Mon Système Fourrager, producers can anticipate their needs and optimize the management of their feed resources to ensure the sustainability of their livestock.