“Alkalage Is a Good Buffer & Consistent…” Says Shaun Hartley

If you’ve still some whole crop to harvest it’s not too late to think about making Alkalage, an alternative high starch, high protein, alkaline forage to improve rumen function and overall performance.

Shaun Hartley is amongst those dairy farmers who have tried and tested alkasystems technology for three years and once again is committed to making Alkalage this season.

“I obviously really like it,” he says. “We’re focused on making best quality forage; we’ve 270 acres of grass and take at least four cuts. These forages can be highly acidic, consequently Alkalage provides a good buffer and gives consistency, much better than the fermented whole crop we used to feed.”

Shaun and his family manage a 300 cow Holstein herd averaging 12,300 litres, 4.15% butterfat and 3.25% protein through a robotic milking system. The 500-acre unit based near Rimington, Lancashire also carries 200 followers.

“We’ve just upped the area of wheat grown by 30% to 80 acres this year, when in fact we would like to expand that area to 120 acres to ensure we have sufficient Alkalage to feed 365 days and reduce the need for maize or remove it altogether, simply because Alkalage does an even better job than maize.”

For six months of the year the herd is yielding an average 40 litres at 4.3% butterfat and 3.5% protein taken from a base of grass silage and 5-6kg head Alkalage – an inclusion rate Shaun refers to as the ‘sweet spot for real milk quality and cow health benefits’.

“Once the Alkalage pit was empty, transitioning to introducing maize to the diet earlier this year – a 29 acre standing crop purchased to fill the gap, butterfat fell by 0.2% worth approximately 1ppl and equating to an annual £40,000,” he says. “We also had a few displaced abomasums when transitioning to maize, previous to that, when feeding Alkalage we had none.”

This year Shaun took the Home n’ Dry pellets in bulk to produce Alkalage making it easier to apply when harvesting the wheat. “I measure out the pellets in a bucket and spread across the trailer load as it is clamped. It’s not an exact science with 100% accuracy but because of how it works, the gas circulates through the clamp and treats it all.”

Clamp management is an important factor, he stresses. “Alkalage is high in dry matter – 86% to be precise, so it absorbs moisture easily, just like a concentrate feed would. Admittedly it’s an expensive product and you wouldn’t leave an expensive blend exposed to the elements so why would Alkalage be any different. We clamp outdoors, and to protect the face, we take out the number of required daily grabs and then pull back the sheet over the clamp face. It may be adding a little more time, but it works well.”