Comments on the Milk Money Maker Budgeting & Feed Selection Spreadsheet Results for Kosovo (CARE International).

There are 250 dairy rations in the Kosovo Milk Money Maker printout.

Price inputs for feed ingredients should be made only on the price sheet. Enter your feed costs and then print out the price sheet and the 25 pages of formulas. Please print out, read and study the five page document that I wrote explaining my (1) Milk Money Maker spreadsheet and my (2) feed nutrient analysis spread sheet. This will take some effort.

The twenty-five sheets in the feed nutrient analysis book of spreadsheets can be brought up on the computer screen by toggling the appropriate tab at the bottom of the screen.

Enter milk price and cost of Chapin Dairy Base Mix components on first ration sheet only (shown in blue), as these link to the other sheets. Each ration sheet has a second milk price cell so you can test alternate milk price on each sheet, but don't change main price in red.

There are twenty five sheets of rations with rations grouped according to forage. On most sheets there is a comparison of rations with no supplemental protein with those formulated with 44% soybean meal, 48% SBM, expeller SBM, high temperature SBM and raw whole soybeans. Notice the income over feed costs and see the importance of adding protein.

On forage high in rumen degradable protein (RDP) - (pastures, pre-mature grass hay and all alfalfa hays), there is little benefit to feeding sunflower meal. Depending on the cost, income over feed costs may actually go down. Feeding a protein with high rumen undegradable protein (RUP) will increase milk production and probably profit. Feeding urea is of benefit only if the rumen degradable protein is too low (mature grass hay).

Vitamins & minerals should be fed. Fauna will supply Chapin Dairy Premix. Multiple deficiencies of vitamins and minerals are apparent in Kosovo. The evaluation of present rations indicates a calcium & sometimes a phosphorus deficiency. Supplement minerals!

Summer pasture, mature grass and cereal hays and corn silage are low in protein. Feeding sunflower meal and soybean meal will increase milk production and profit. Find if cottonseed meal can be purchased and its price to determine if this is a good option. Finding an affordable protein source is critical. Please note the increase in milk production and income over feed costs resulting from protein supplementation. Work hard to meet the nutrient needs of the cows during the winter. This will make you money.

Study the various ration sheets to see the positive effect on production from feeding good quality hay. Improving forage quality is the first step to increase income over feed costs.

Use the MMM to determine what you can afford to pay for protein supplement by changing protein cost on ingredient cost page. You'll be surprised how much you can afford to pay.

Study the various rations presented and the predicted economic outcome. Take a pro-active roll, buy good feed, balance the rations and count your increased amount of money.

I'd like to continue working with Kosovo dairymen. There is great potential there.

Roy Chapin, Ph.D., Animal Nutritionist

11145 Chapin Lane, Amity, Oregon 97101
Phone: 503-835-7317
Fax: 503-835-3333
E-mail: <[email protected]>