Winter can often bring challenging feed pinches. I want to share the significant benefits I’ve seen growers achieve by supplementing their R1 heifers with a little Palm Kernel Extract (PKE) over the winter period, rather than relying entirely on traditional winter cropping.
The Challenge with Winter Pasture and Crops
Let’s face it: the feed value in grass is often unknown. It can be highly variable, inadequate as a total feed source, and inconsistent in supply. Slow pasture growth, combined with the increasing daily feed requirements of young stock, frequently leads to critical feed pinches during the winter right before the all-important mating period.
While green feed crops are great, they come with drawbacks:
- Downtime and Expense: Getting crops successfully in the ground ready to feed out takes time and money.
- The Mud Factor: Winter crops inevitably mean dealing with mud.
- Long Transitions: Rumen microbes need up to two weeks to transition to big diet changes to get full value from the new feed.
- Time Commitments: You need to graze heifers on a crop for at least two months to truly reap the benefits.
The PKE Advantage
Unlike crops, PKE requires no transition period for starting or stopping, and carries no overeating health risks. As long as it is stored in a dry environment, it is easy to feed out.
Feeding a small amount of PKE, approximately 2 kg per head, per day, alongside good-quality grass delivers a massive boost to growth efficiency and your bottom line. When pasture alone is insufficient, this extra energy ensures a consistent energy supply, resulting in steady, reliable growth rates.
Long-Term Herd Benefits Heifers that reach their target weights sooner can be bred earlier. Because they experience more heats prior to the start of mating, they are far more likely to conceive on the first cycle. Earlier-calving heifers have a much higher likelihood of getting back in calf during both their first and second lactations and therefore survive longer in the milking herd.
Furthermore, supplementing with PKE means your heifers aren’t relying entirely on pasture. It prevents overgrazing, protects pasture regrowth, and boosts overall farm productivity because grass grows grass.
The Economic Impact
Feeding approximately 2 kg/day/head of PKE protects the farm from sudden, high feed costs by significantly reducing the need for expensive emergency feed purchases during unexpected shortages often when prices are high.
Key Gains of Feeding PKE:
- Improved Pasture Longevity: Grows more total feed per hectare.
- Consistent Weight Gain: Bridges the gap when pasture growth slows.
- Earlier Milestones: Achieve target mating weights sooner.
- Better Breeding: Results in earlier breeding and earlier calving.
- Safe and Simple: A practically risk-free feed supplement.
“It is easier, and more beneficial both in heifer growth rates and financially. We wouldn’t go back to winter crops.” Growers who have made the switch from crops to PKE for winter feeding management.
Well-grown heifers become productive cows sooner. Happy heifers make a happy farmer!
Richard Hammond
Lead Lower North Island Manager