The latest results from herds using Kingshay’s dairy costings service are showing milk from forage was lower than last year as forage quality is falling short for some herds.
For October 2024, milk from forage (MFF) was down by 7% to 6.5 litres/cow/day. Herds were fed more purchased feed to keep yields up as shown by conc. use increasing by 7% that month. Fortunately concentrate prices per tonne were 7% lower at £305/tonne compared to Oct 2023. All purchased feed costs/litre dropped by 2% to 12.2ppl, even though usage had increased.
Is there less focus on improving feed efficiency this year? Are cows simply being fed more as bought in feed is cheaper?
October 2024 milk prices averaged 44.4ppl, an increase of 19% compared to the same month of the previous year where prices averaged 37.2ppl.
Overall, margin over purchased feed (MOPF) per cow was 34% higher at £228/cow, due to higher milk prices, compared to £172/cow in Oct 2023.
Other rolling trends for the year ending Oct 2024 include -
- Average herd size increased slightly with 227 cows in herd.
- Yields averaged 8,428 litres per cow, a drop of 1.1% compared to last year.
- Milk from forage decreased by 6.6% to 2,560 litres per cow.
- Cell counts remained low at 155 (‘000).
- Milk price decreased to 39.45ppl from 42.56ppl the previous year, a decrease of 7.3% but is increasing gradually month on month.
- Purchased feed costs of 11.50ppl were 9.1% lower compared to last year, with annual concentrate prices averaging £316/tonne compared to £360/tonne the previous year.
- Margin over purchased feed was down 7.6% to £2,356/cow or 27.95 pence per litre.
Click here for the full results.
More in-depth analysis of herds using Kingshay’s costings service can be found in Kingshay’s Dairy Costings Focus Report or call 01458 851555 for more details.
Analyse your Profit Manager results for the year ending March 2024 now -
- Proportion costs to the Dairy Enterprise
- Analyse the true costs of production for your herd
If you are interested in analysing and comparing your herd’s figures with other similar herds, give us a call on 01458 851555. More details of this simple and easy-to-use service can be found here.