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Home-grown feed eaten

9 t DM/cow · 60% of diet

The tonnes of home-grown feed — grazed pasture plus conserved silage and hay — eaten per cow each year, and its share of the total diet. It is the cheapest feed on the farm and the base of every ration.

Worked example · Home-grown share of diet
60% home-grown Home-grown · 9 t Bought-in · 6 t
Home-grown share of diet
The benchmark

Home-grown feed is the cheapest in the ration; lifting the tonnes of pasture and silage eaten per cow is a core profit driver.

Dairy Farm Monitor Project ↗
What it signals

Every extra tonne of home-grown feed eaten displaces bought-in grain and fodder, the biggest cost on a Queensland dairy. The home-grown share is the clearest read on how well the feedbase is managed.

Data required to calculate
Pasture & silage eatent DMBought-in feed fedt DMCows milkinghead

Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses, and keeps the figure current automatically.

How to improve it
01

Graze to correct residuals to keep pasture growing fast.

02

Conserve the summer surplus as silage for the winter feed gap.

03

Match stocking and calving to the feed the platform actually grows.

Questions & answers

What is home-grown feed eaten?

The tonnes of home-grown feed — grazed pasture plus conserved silage and hay — eaten per cow each year, and its share of the total diet. It is the cheapest feed on the farm and the base of every ration.

What data do you need to calculate home-grown feed eaten?

You need: Pasture & silage eaten (t DM), Bought-in feed fed (t DM), Cows milking (head). Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses and keeps the figure current automatically.

What is a good home-grown feed eaten benchmark?

Home-grown feed is the cheapest in the ration; lifting the tonnes of pasture and silage eaten per cow is a core profit driver.

How do you improve home-grown feed eaten?

Graze to correct residuals to keep pasture growing fast. Conserve the summer surplus as silage for the winter feed gap. Match stocking and calving to the feed the platform actually grows.

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