Feed is the biggest controllable cost on most dairy farms, and the easiest place to quietly lose money. George Dodson and Conan Moynihan sit down with dairy nutritionist Shaun Balemi (myCOW) on feeding efficiency: fillers vs concentrates, early vs late lactation, palm kernel and protein, what rumination data is really telling you, and what nutrition does to in-calf rates. Plus why a hungry cow is a stressed cow — and an expensive one. George puts his own farm up for some free consulting.
More from Shaun: https://mycow.nz
CHAPTERS
00:00 A hungry cow is a stressed cow
00:32 How good's dairy?
01:11 Thirty years in, and what farmers taught him
03:08 Three big opportunities for New Zealand dairy
05:01 Drowning in data: which numbers actually matter
06:46 George on farm: stock sense vs the computer
10:06 Collars, rumination and reading the paddock
11:32 Feeding efficiency without breaking the bank
14:30 What counts as a starchy feed
15:23 Pasture-only vs a complete diet, and the digestion army
17:23 Fillers vs concentrates, and what NDF means
19:25 When early lactation becomes late lactation
20:07 Palm kernel, DDG and getting the protein right
22:53 Can you actually measure the payback?
25:08 Pasture harvested per hectare: the number that pays
27:29 Silage quality: New Zealand's blind spot
29:13 Nutrition and reproduction: consistency is the lever
31:53 Minerals, selenium, B12 and the transition window
35:06 Soil, nutrient density and where this is heading
36:58 Shaun's one piece of advice
39:46 Where to find Shaun and myCOW
41:02 Takeaways and wrap