Breeding for longevity to maximise protein from your own grassland
The goal of dairy farmer Mark Sluis is efficient utilisation of his own grassland. His breeding strategy also plays a significant role. By selecting breeding bulls with a high score for longevity, he aims to increase the lifetime production of his herd. This approach reduces the amount of feed he needs to raise young stock.
Mark Sluis effortlessly sums up some figures from the Recycling Indicator – an administrative tool for mineral use – for 2019. ‘Last year, 85% of the protein for our cows was sourced from our own meadows and we fed 24 kilos of concentrates per 100 kilos of…
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