Guide To Increase Milk From Forage

Forage quality plays a major role in dairy herd performance, profitability, and long-term sustainability. This article explores practical ways dairy farmers can increase milk production using better forage management, including reseeding with modern ryegrass and clover mixes, improving silage quality through multi-cut systems, targeting leafy grass, and maintaining balanced rations. It also covers how to reduce feed costs without compromising output, what affects milk fat and protein percentages, how to build a more sustainable feeding program, and how quickly dietary improvements can influence milk production and herd performance.

How to Increase Milk Production Using Forage

Forage quality is one of the biggest drivers of dairy herd performance. High-quality grass silage and grazing can significantly improve milk yield, milk solids, cow health, and overall profitability — often while reducing purchased feed costs.

For modern dairy systems, the goal is not simply to feed more, but to feed smarter. Better forage means cows can produce more milk from home-grown feed, reducing reliance on expensive concentrates.

Why Forage Quality Matters

Forage is usually the largest component of a dairy cow’s diet. If forage digestibility and energy are poor, cows simply cannot consume enough nutrients to maximise milk production.

High-performing forage should deliver:

• High metabolisable energy (ME)
• Good protein content
• Excellent digestibility
• High dry matter intake potential
• Consistent fermentation quality

When forage quality improves, cows typically:

• Eat more
• Produce more milk
• Maintain better rumen health
• Convert feed more efficiently

Guide on how to improve milk production

1. Reseed Regularly with Modern Ryegrass and Clover Mixes

Older pastures lose productivity, digestibility, and feed value over time. Modern perennial ryegrass varieties are bred specifically for:

1. Higher sugar content
2. Better digestibility
3. Improved yield
4. Faster regrowth
5. Greater seasonal performance

Including white or red clover in reseeds can further improve forage value by naturally increasing protein levels and reducing nitrogen fertiliser requirements.

Benefits of Clover and Multispecies Swards

Multispecies swards can include:

• Clover
• Chicory
• Plantain
• Deep-rooting grasses

These mixtures often improve:

• Drought resilience
• Soil structure
• Protein levels
• Intake potential
• Sustainability

Higher forage protein and improved palatability encourage greater dry matter intake, which is directly linked to milk output.

2. Target Leafy, Young Grass - Not Stemmy Forage

Grass maturity has a huge effect on feed value.

As grass becomes stemmy:

1. Fibre increases
2. Digestibility falls
3. Energy drops
4. Intake declines

Young leafy grass provides:

1. Higher ME
2. Better digestibility
3. Improved sugar levels
4. Faster rumen breakdown

This supports higher milk production and improved butterfat and protein performance.

Ideal Cutting Timing: Aim to harvest grass before heading and stem development. Delayed cutting can dramatically reduce forage quality within days.

3. Use Multi-Cut Silage Systems

Modern dairy systems increasingly use multi-cut silage strategies. Instead of taking 2 heavy cuts annually, many farms now target:

• 3 cuts
• 4 cuts
• Even 5 cuts in intensive systems

Why Multi-Cut Systems Work

Frequent cutting produces:

• Younger grass
• Higher digestibility
• Better energy
• Improved fermentation

The target for high-performing dairy silage is often:

• ME: 11–12 MJ/kg DM
• Crude protein: 16–20%
• D-value above 70

Higher-quality silage allows cows to produce more milk from forage while reducing concentrate requirements.

4. Focus on Clamp Management and Chop Length

Excellent grass can still become poor silage if clamp management is weak.

Key Areas to Control

Fast Wilting: Aim for consistent dry matter to improve fermentation.

Correct Chop Length: Proper chop length improves:

• Clamp consolidation
• Fermentation
• Feed-out consistency
• Rumen function

Effective Rolling and Sealing: Poor consolidation introduces oxygen, causing:

• Heating
• Mould
• Dry matter losses
• Reduced palatability

Good clamp management preserves forage quality from field to feed face.

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5. Keep the Ration Balanced

Even excellent forage must fit into a balanced feeding program for dairy cows.

The best dairy diets carefully balance:

• Energy
• Protein
• Fibre
• Starch
• Sugars
• Minerals

An imbalance can limit production, even with top-quality silage.

Why Balance Matters

Too little energy:

1. Reduced milk yield
2. Poor fertility
3. Body condition loss

Too much starch:

1. Acidosis risk
2. Milk fat depression

Insufficient effective fibre:

1. Poor rumen health
2. Lower butterfat

Working with a dairy cow nutritionist can help maximise the value of home-grown forage while maintaining cow health and production.

How Can I Reduce Feed Costs Without Harming Production?

Feed costs are often the largest expense on a dairy farm. The most effective way to reduce them is usually by improving forage utilisation rather than simply cutting concentrate levels.

Practical Ways to Reduce Costs

Improve Forage Quality

Better silage means:

1. Higher milk from forage
2. Lower purchased feed requirements
3. Improved feed efficiency

Reduce Waste: Clamp losses, feed refusals, and poor storage all increase feed costs unnecessarily.

Maximise Grazing Efficiency: Well-managed grazing systems can significantly lower total ration costs.

Use Forage Analysis: Regular testing allows more precise ration formulation and prevents overfeeding expensive ingredients.

Improve Feed Conversion Efficiency: Healthier cows with stable rumens convert feed more efficiently into milk.

The cheapest litre of milk is usually produced from high-quality home-grown forage.

What Affects Milk Fat and Protein Percentages?

Milk solids are influenced by several nutritional and management factors.

Milk Fat Is Affected By:

• Effective fibre levels
• Rumen health
• Grazing quality
• Starch balance
• Feeding consistency

Low fibre or excessive rapidly fermentable starch can depress butterfat.

Milk Protein Is Influenced By:

• Energy intake
• Protein supply
• Overall dry matter intake
• Amino acid balance

Improving forage digestibility often helps both milk yield and milk protein percentages because cows consume more usable energy.

Can I Make My Feeding Program More Sustainable?

Yes, and forage improvement is one of the most effective ways to do it.

Sustainable Feeding Strategies

Use Clover to Reduce Nitrogen Fertiliser: Clover naturally fixes nitrogen, reducing fertiliser dependency.

Increase Milk from Forage: Producing more milk from home-grown feed lowers:

• Feed miles
• Imported feed reliance
• Carbon footprint

Improve Soil Health: Multispecies swards can improve:

• Root structure
• Water retention
• Soil biology

Reduce Feed Waste: Better clamp management and accurate feeding reduce environmental losses and improve profitability simultaneously. Sustainability and profitability often improve together when forage systems are optimised.

How Quickly Do Dairy Cows Respond to Diet Changes?

The timeline depends on the type of change made. Here are the typical response times, however do speak with our cow nutritionists for expert advice first:

Rapid Changes (Days)

• Improved intakes
• Better rumen stability
• Changes in milk yield

Medium-Term Changes (2–6 Weeks)

• Improved milk solids
• Better body condition
• Higher feed efficiency

Long-Term Changes (Months)

• Soil improvement
• Reseeding benefits
• Increased grazing productivity
• Better fertility and herd health

Consistency is critical. Sudden dietary changes in your dairy cows can upset rumen function, so adjustments should be introduced gradually wherever possible.

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Best Ways To Improve Milk Production in Cows

Improving forage quality remains one of the most profitable strategies available to dairy farmers. So by focusing on the following areas, dairy producers can increase milk production, improve milk solids, reduce feed costs, and build a more sustainable farming system.

• Modern reseeding
• Clover and multispecies swards
• Young leafy grass
• Multi-cut silage systems
• Excellent clamp management
• Balanced nutrition

In many cases, the biggest gains in dairy performance come not from feeding more concentrate, but from getting more value out of every hectare of forage grown.

Get in Touch

Speak with our team of dairy cow nutritionists at Douglas Green Consulting today to discover practical solutions tailored to your dairy herd and forage goals.