Feeding efficency of Bella Dairy Farm, Kudat / Darwin Harun, Mohd Reza Adinata and Abang Faisal Yaman

This demand for milk and dairy products must be met by some means. Some will be met through increased global trade but much, especially the demand for whole fresh milk, will have to be met locally. Dairy farmers need to develop many new skills to become successful business managers. Not only must they able to budget their cash inputs to match their cash returns during the different seasons of the year, but also they must be able to invest wisely in improving their cows housing and feeding systems. The availability and quality of dairy production and profitability, and this be addressed in any farm development program. Every effort should be made to ensure a reliable supply of quality forages to supplement their wet season forages during the dry season. For example, dairy farmers may consider contracting nearby cropping farmers to grow whole crop maize for silage, then store it in a pit near the milking cows, rather than continue to depend on rice straw and other low quality forages as the major dry season feed. Feed efficiency (FE) is a concept that has gained popularity in recent years in the dairy industry. Monitoring FE is becoming a more common benchmark for monitoring the profitability of milk production relative to dry matter (DM) intake. In today's markets, feeds and commodities are becoming more costly, which is driving the requirement for more efficient utilization to maintain profitability. The goal of the dairy operation should be to maximize the efficiency of converting feed into milk, which adds the caveat of reducing manure production as well. How efficiently a dairy cow converts feed into milk can affect the dairy operation's bottom line, which during tough economic conditions, can be the difference between producing milk at a profit or a loss. Other livestock industries have used FE as a benchmark for profitability. Many articles have been written on what FE is, how to measure and calculate FE, and what factors influence FE. This presentation will be to focus the discussion on FE and its application in Bella Farm. This is a straightforward research on process as well as FE understanding in designated farm.