With global tensions showing no sign of easing, commodity markets remain volatile. There are still freight issues around the Red Sea/Suez Canal with vessels being attacked. This has forced a large number of vessels to take the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope adding time and costs to ocean freight.
Overall global molasses supply (cane + beet) is good but demand is also strong especially in the fermentation sector, meaning global (USD$) prices are unlikely to move significantly from where they are today. However, in a volatile world things can change very quickly and we have seen this very recently with currency moving significantly since the US election (see graph) so it makes sense to cover your winter requirements now to remove any risk!
Winter Rations
With a rising milk price and strong beef values it makes sense to maximise performance from the most cost-effective feed on farm; home grown forage.
Trouw Nutrition silage data indicates dry matters are higher on average in first and second cut silages this year, along with a low sugar, protein and energy content. The higher fibre and lignin levels are also proving a challenge when it comes to achieving dry matter intakes on farm.
Many of the challenges when feeding this year’s silages can be tackled by looking closely at the levels of sugars in the diet. With sugar levels around 1.7% DM, this creates a substantial sugar gap in the diet. Lactating cows require between 6-8% DM as sugar in the diet for efficient rumen function and to encourage better feed efficiency.
Adding a molasses blend to a diet will add a source of rapidly fermentable carbohydrates helping to balance nutrients in the rumen. This will support higher levels of forage intake by increasing diet palatability and fibre digestion which will help rumen outflow rates meaning the feed won’t be sat in the rumen too long allowing the cow to eat more. Fibre is the slowest digested carbohydrate in feed; however, it is still a crucial source of energy. The energy can often be difficult for the rumen microbes to access and utilise due to the slower fermentation and increased lignin levels. 6-Carbon sugars, naturally present in molasses based liquid feeds, are a great feed for rumen fungi which are critical in breaking down lignin and making fibre more accessible to the rumen microbes.
Faced with this winter’s silage and current milk prices it will make sense to see how molasses blends can be added to diets to promote a more efficient rumen and make better use of forages therefore, driving production.
