Think about how much energy you burn off taking a long walk, especially up hill. Well it's just the same for cows. Taking account of this energy drain can ensure cows perform better at grazing.

In today's economic climate it is essential that farmers maximise milk production from grazed grass without compromising other factors such as fertility and milk quality. This requires an accurate assessment of all the energy needs of the cow, particularly high yielding cows which face a great many demands.

One variable that has largely been ignored in the UK, and may account for some of the apparent poor performance at grazing, is the energy cost to the cow of actually grazing grass.

"There are three components which together make up the total energy required for grazing," explains Dr Jonathan Blake of DietCheck Ltd. "First there is the distance the cow has to walk to and from the pasture; second there is how hilly the grazing area is, and finally there is the actual process of grazing itself.

"The energy cost of grazing is surprisingly high", continues Dr Blake. "A 600kg cow walking only a mile a day and grazing on flat ground uses up 6 MJ ME/day, or as much energy as she needs for 1.3 kg of milk.

"If she is grazing on steep ground the energy cost becomes a massive 29 MJ ME/day, equivalent to nearly 6 kg milk a day!"

To address this problem, DietCheck reviewed various systems from around the world and determined that the American NRC 2001 equations (which are derived from New Zealand and UK data) were the most useful and has now incorporated these into their dairy rationing module.

The new DietCheck dairy module is the first in the UK to allow the energy required for grazing to be included in the diet calculations, resulting in more accurate rations. Uniquely it provides an 'Undulating' category to provide the half way house between flat land and steep hilly grazing which will be important for much of the UK.

"Getting the best from grass is a complex business and needs considerable management effort to take account of factors such as variations in grass quality and quantity," adds Geoff Hughes from DietCheck. "Factors such as the dry matter content of the grass can alter on a daily basis and wet grass is bound to limit the potential dry matter intake.

"DietCheck allows all these factors to be assessed using the best nutritional information available. The result is more predictable cow performance and a reduction in the problems resulting from energy shortfalls."

For details about the program or to request a free 30 day trial visit the website on www.dietcheck.co.uk