Your cows have a base line concentrate requirement, needed to meet her current milk yield and to build a grass wedge.   Additional concentrates on top of this requirement will deliver additional milk with every 70c spent on additional concentrates per cow delivering €1.2 worth of milk per cow.

Not every kg will drive the same amount of milk and leave you with the same amount of profit. The first 2kgs of additional concentrates you feed are the most responsive and the most profitable, with every kg yielding 1.15 litres of milk.

This first 2kgs of concentrate will generate c.€1500 of margin over the feed costs for a 100-cow herd for a month (depending on what you are paying for concentrates and based on a 52c/ltr milk price).

The second 2kgs of additional concentrates you feed are less responsive, with every kg yielding 0.8 ltrs of milk. This additional 2kgs of concentrate will generate c.€300 of margin over the feed costs for a 100-cow herd for a month (depending on what you are paying for concentrates and based on a 52c/ltr milk price).

These are average responses, and it must be emphasized better responses can be achieved with milker type cows or in times of poor grass quality or grass shortages.

Contact you Dairygold ASM for more advice.