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Beat the Drop with Yea-Sacc®

MANAGING AND MAINTAINING BUTTERFAT IN EARLY-MID LACTATION

As we enter spring and see the temperature slowly begin to rise, a decline in milk fat and protein percentages becomes a more common occurrence. Lush, low-fibre grass can increase the risk of acidosis in the rumen, leading to poor digestion and reduced milk solids output. YEA-SACC® is a live yeast from Alltech that has repeatedly been proven to promote fibre digestion while simultaneously reducing the build-up of lactic acid in the rumen. Thanks to fewer wasted nutrients, more energy is available for production, which can help increase milk fat and protein.

4 areas for combatting a drop in butterfat include:

Nutrition
Nutrition
Grass
Rumen Health
Grass
Grassland Management
Genetics
Genetics

Manage and maintain milk solids this spring!

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Aspects contributing to the butterfat depression

It is not uncommon to see a butterfat drop of up to 0.5% over the spring–summer period in grazing dairy cows. This can occur in the absence of significant signs of acidosis and lameness, so, over the last number of years, we have begun to examine the relationship between the cows diet, how it reacts in the rumen and its effect on butterfat depression.
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With the “back broken” in the calving season, attention now turns to getting cows to grass, and early-season management of this will pay dividends in the long run. Feed prices have not been kind to us this year, so getting some higher-protein forage into the cows will be a welcome reprieve when supply and conditions allow us to do so.
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With an unexpected delayed start to grazing this season, spring rotation planners had to be abandoned on many farms. The target of grazing 30% of the platform by the end of February did not happen on even the driest of farms. As a result, cows ended up being housed for longer, which has reduced the number of days at grass by 15 to 20. This loss means that most farms will lose a rotation this year.
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We must remember that our milk payment system is focused on kilograms of butterfat (BF) and protein. This is a function of milk yield and solids percentage. Our task is to maximise all of these and get the cow back on calf while keeping an eye on total cost.
BEAT THE DROP: Managing and maintaining butterfats during early-mid lactation.

Addressing the drop in butterfat during early lactation at grass

There is much discussion among dairy farmers about low butterfat levels in milk. A decline in butterfat percentages can be common during spring months, when cows are grazing lush grass that is low in fibre and high in oil and sugars — but for some herds, this issue can continue into the summer.
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Different yeasts, different results

When Dr. Pearse Lyons turned his extensive experience of fermentation to the issue of improving rumen fermentation, he did what all great scientists do: He began by identifying the core causes of inefficient rumen function in beef cattle. His solution was to develop the rumen-specific yeast culture Yea-Sacc.
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