Producers should be alert to the delayed impact of summer heat, changes in forage, feet problems and wider herd-health pressures as cows move into the winter-feeding period.
While many herds may have appeared to come through the summer reasonably well, the effects of hot weather often show up later, when intakes, fertility and milk production began to drift. The key is, not to assume a drop in output was inevitable, or to blame the silage analysis alone, but to look closely at what the cows were actually doing.
“It is a bit like a hangover. “You do not always see the full effect at the time. Cows might keep milking during the heat, but the problem can come afterwards.”
Q. How much of a problem is heat stress in Scotland?
A. Heat stress is no longer something Scottish producers can afford to dismiss as a problem for warmer countries. High-yielding housed cows, particularly in older buildings with limited ventilation, can come under pressure during prolonged warm spells. Panting, higher respiration rates and reduced intakes are obvious warning signs, but the impact can carry on long after temperatures fall.
The first response should be to look at the whole picture. Fresh silage analysis is an important starting point, but it is not the full answer. A first cut may appear strong on paper yet still fail to deliver as expected once it is in front of cows. Fibre digestibility, rumen function, dry matter, clamp stability and how the forage feeds all matter.
The analysis gives you a guide, but the cow will tell you the truth. “If milk is slipping, or dung is changing, or cows are not cudding and lying as they should, you need to react to that. You cannot just say the paper looks fine.
Q. Does that mean being prepared to adjust rations more quickly than a standard programme might suggest?
A. Autumn was often a point where nutritionists and farmers had to be particularly responsive, especially when cows were moving on to new forage or when earlier summer pressure had left them with less resilience.
The economics of acting early could be significant. A loss of two, three or four litres of milk can rapidly become costly, often worth around £1 per cow per day depending on milk price. In that context, a targeted spend of 30p to 50p per cow to hold production, support rumen function or smooth the transition onto winter feed may be justified.
The point is not simply to add cost or reach for a product, but to make timely decisions before milk is lost. Once production has fallen, getting those litres back can be much harder than protecting them in the first place.
Q. Straw is a great example of an ingredient, but can often be undervalued, why do you think that is?
A. Although it is often seen as low-energy, high-fibre and expensive, it still has a role in the right diet, particularly where effective fibre is needed to help stabilise rumen function. Used properly, it can be part of the answer rather than a sign that a ration is being diluted.
However, nutrition is only one part of the winter-feeding picture. One of the biggest mistakes was to assume every milk drop was ration-related. Feet, mobility, cubicle comfort, lying time, ventilation, water availability, fertility and general health could all restrict performance, sometimes at the same time as forage was changing.
Q. What about lameness? Sometimes it’s too late by the time you see a limp.
A. Mobility is a particular concern. By the time a cow is obviously lame, the loss has often already happened. Early detection of score-one cows, prompt treatment and good communication between the farmer, vet, foot trimmer and nutritionist are all essential if problems are to be tackled before they became costly.
You have to look at what is stopping that cow doing her job. It might be feed, but it might be feet, fertility, the shed, or something else. If she is not comfortable, not eating enough or not lying down, then the ration on paper is not going to deliver.
That whole-system approach is especially important as herds enter a period when weather, feed changes and housing pressure can all come together. Good winter performance depends on spotting the first signs of a problem, rather than waiting until litres have already disappeared from the bulk tank.
Q. So that’s back to basics and asking practical questions?
A. Yes – are cows coming to the feed barrier keenly? Are they lying and cudding? Are dung consistency and rumen fill steady? Are more cows showing early mobility issues? Has fertility slipped? Is heat-stress recovery still affecting intakes? The answers may point to nutrition, but they may also reveal a bottleneck elsewhere.
The most useful conversations are not always the easiest ones. A nutritionist could balance a ration, but if cows were short of lying space, struggling with feet or under pressure from poor airflow, performance would still suffer. Equally, vets and foot trimmers could help identify patterns that explained why cows were not responding as expected.
Producers should not wait for a full-blown problem before acting. A small milk drop, a subtle change in cow behaviour or an increase in minor mobility cases should be treated as an early warning. The quicker teams respond, the more chance they have of protecting production and avoiding a more expensive recovery job later.
Do not look for one silver bullet.
• Look at the cows
• Look at the environment
• Look at the forage
• Get the right people talking to each other.
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