NRCS Feed Management Program

Adapted by Bob Fry, State Conservation Agronomist & Gerald Higginbotham, UCCE Fresno & Madera

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has adopted a practice standard called Feed Management (592) and is defined as “managing the quantity of available nutrients fed to livestock and poultry for their intended purpose”. Protein is typically the most expensive purchased component in dairy rations. The goal in feeding dairy cattle is to develop feeding programs and management systems that maximize the efficiency of nitrogen use and decrease nitrogen excretion to the environment. Current regulations in the Central Valley now require careful management of manure as a crop nutrient specifically as it applies to nitrogen content.

Reducing the N content of the manure will lessen the chance of groundwater contamination from excess nitrogen applications on crop ground. NRCS is offering a cost share opportunity for dairy producers interested in evaluating and possibly improving feeding practices to limit nitrogen levels in manure while also optimizing animal nutrition and production. Producers should be aware of the following if they wish to participate in this program:

An American Registry of Professional Animal Scientist (ARPAS) dairy nutritionist certified in Feed Management will need to prepare the feed management plan and help implement it. Contact your NRCS office for help in finding a certified nutritionist.
Feedstuff and TMR analysis, monitoring of milk N levels, and other measuring and recordkeeping is necessary.
Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) provides a method to assess the efficiency of feed N use in the dairy herd. Higher NUE values indicate better efficiency in converting feed N into milk N. For dairy producers to receive payment in the second and third year, 30% of the total N fed to the lactating cows needs to end up in the milk. (This is a 30% NUE). An NUE of 28% is adequate for the first year if new practices are being used that should lead to 30% efficiency in year two. Records must show these requirements are met. NRCS provides a recordkeeping and reporting Excel Spreadsheet, “NUE Calculator” that can be used to meet this requirement.
To be eligible producers must not already have a 30% NUE feed efficiency. To estimate if your NUE is above or below 30% using the “Eligibility Tool”, or review the “NUE Calculator”, go to

http://www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/cnmp/feed_mgt_guidelines.html

For further information contact your local NRCS office or UC Cooperative Extension Dairy Advisor.