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 :
- Les aléas climatiques. Les conditions météorologiques influencent grandement la qualité et le rendement des récoltes. Par exemple, les sécheresses prolongées peuvent réduire considérablement les rendements, tandis que des hivers rigoureux peuvent causer une mortalité accrue des prairies.
- Le coût des intrants. Les engrais sont indispensables pour maintenir une bonne productivité des prairies et pâturages. Leur coût peut représenter une contrainte économique importante, obligeant les producteurs à faire des choix stratégiques.
- Les pertes d’ensilage. De nombreux facteurs peuvent entraîner des pertes d’ensilage, comme :
- 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?
Si vos stocks de fourrages ne suffisent pas à répondre aux besoins alimentaires de votre troupeau, plusieurs stratégies peuvent être envisagées. Découvrez des solutions adaptées à vos besoins en consultant ce vidéo.
How the MSF platform can help you evaluate your inventories
Mon Système Fourrager a été conçu pour fournir un outil d’aide à la décision complet, spécialement pensé pour faciliter la gestion de votre troupeau. L’une de ses fonctionnalités phares est l’onglet interactif « Gestion des ensilages », qui permet, entre autres, de réaliser facilement le bilan fourrager de votre ferme. Une bonne gestion du stock de fourrage est essentielle pour assurer une nourriture adéquate aux animaux et éviter toute pénurie.
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.
Une gestion rigoureuse des stocks de fourrage est essentielle pour assurer une alimentation adéquate aux animaux tout au long de l’année. Une bonne planification permet de garantir que la nourriture disponible en stock suffira à couvrir les besoins en fourrage des animaux, malgré les aléas climatiques et économiques. Grâce à des outils comme le bilan fourrager et des solutions numériques telles que Mon Système Fourrager, les producteurs peuvent anticiper leurs besoins et optimiser la gestion de leurs ressources alimentaires pour assurer la pérennité de leur élevage.