WE TRIED EVERYTHING TO MAKE IT WORK...

In today's video we are back with the Maize... We open the clamp up fully and follow the journey 7 weeks after opening the clamp!
Hope you enjoy the video !
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[@TomPembertonFarmLife]

Hey Guys, Hope everyone is well and enjoying the video. Sorry about the videos being abit longer as of late. I prefer the shorters ones tbh but there’s is so much information to pack all in. Let me know how your liking them. Will try and shorten them in the new year 🙈🙈

[@Michael-8903]

I like longer videos with lots of information. Nice to hear the thoughts of colleagues in other countries. Don't you see it in your statistics if many fast forwards?

[@danielrust8001]

The longer the better tom!! There’s nothing to watch on the tv! Thinking of giving up with the tv licence and stick with KZbin 😂😂😂

[@marksecret9973]

I think this was a great candidate for being a longer video, the subject was all the better for being handled in more detail. :) Can the computer system present you with standard deviation and/or modal average for a range of time periods? That would provide you with an easy visual reference for how your herd is doing on a per cow basis. Ie, is you average being pulled down by a few low producers or vice versa.... 🤔 Thank you as always Mark

[@Zinargh]

Would you ever consider bringing in any NRF(norwegian reds) to the herd? good fertility and yield as well as needing less grass than holsteins and other big breeds.

[@archiecairns2731]

I like the longer videos, I sometimes feel your videos tend to be rushed and your sentences cut short perhaps during editing. You took your time on this one to explain things better. Much more informative for the listener. Just had an afterthought. You know I used to work for an animal feed in my youth. I think it would benefit you to go visit a Feed Mill and see the whole process of how cake is made and what goes in the mix. I think it will surprise you. Look forward to your next video

[@tinagibbs618]

Your Dad is such a wise man.xx

[@ryanc8188]

I'd wait until the bale hangover is done and your milk numbers are consistent and then try the corn again. You're right there in that awkward part of everything is changing and your adding one more thing into the mix so it's hard to nail it down if it's actually working.

[@jenksify]

I agree. Get more consistent and then make the changes and see what happens. Try again next year. That will be after the hangover is gone and you can get a better comparison when you look at the numbers.

[@jerrydewit5513]

Agree, always give feed changes at least 6 weeks to take full effect.

[@stewarthandcock8794]

To my mind you would be better to split the stale from the cows with more milk and only feed that group maize mix and high protein feed and see if they respond

[@jimmyjohnstone5878]

Father is always interesting to listen to. He knows how to make best use best use of that land to get the highest quality fodder for the dairy herd.

[@westleeornor6023]

Another fantastic video, love the long ones. But one thing, You cut your poor dad up at 30:36 he had more to say! You do this often Thomas. Trust me, us viewers love to hear your Dad speak, he has such knowledge please allow him to educate us!

[@brendanoneill1466]

OMG your father is a wealth of information. I love listening to him. I love these videos with lots of information about what goes into feeding your cows to make for the best yield.

[@belfast479]

Another good one, Tom. Ginger Warrior has gotten to be very excited when explaining the workings of the farm. Remember when he shyed away from the camera.

[@ShalomBrother]

Turned into a right diva these days hasn’t he 🤣

[@paulkelly8882]

​@@ShalomBrotherneeds to get his own TV show.

[@gregedmand9939]

"Upsetting routine" seems to a layman, a major factor in getting steady milk production growth. If I've learned anything at Pemberton's Ag College over the years, it's both cows and their caretakers thrive best on keeping the environment as steady as possible. This past year has been the opposite of that. Introducing new feed may take a little longer to see accurate results, but the data doesn't lie: 2024 looks like a more prosperous one!

[@dennisaskew7004]

Need to have more of Luke, think he[s full of knowledge. Also quick to the point.

[@jeanmm2996]

Hear! Hear!

[@1ADP]

Yes good point

[@tommurphy3544]

It’s on sky news ,, Luke signed contract with joe seels

[@jeanmm2996]

@@tommurphy3544 Luke's leaving Pemberton's?

[@JD150R]

For all the years I’ve been watching this channel it’s amazing to see how the farm has changed. Can’t wait to see what happens in the next couple of years.

[@prjndigo]

I saw worn-out fire hose filled with gravel and sand used as strip-weights for the sides and ends of a bunker yesterday. Fairly certain discarded fire-hose isn't recycleable in any way and is just burned or landfilled. Something handy to look into.

[@archiecairns2731]

That sounds like a great tip. Be interesting to see if it works. Tom hope you see this.

[@williammorgan7664]

Great video. You’re correct on high DIM cows. The maize needs to be infront of the cows for a while yet and cows freshen with it infront of them. Your peak milk will improve and get better production throughout the lactation. Also feeding it so early after harvest meant that starch availability and protein (although limited) availability were not optimal.

[@user-gx7lk8zl9f]

100% agree allowing the feed to ferment for the right amount of time is key.. also the moisture content in the feed plays a huge role for how much feed is going into each tmr load and how much each cow is getting per day.. on our farm our nutritionist comes about every week or so depending on how fast we’re feeding out the feed to test it so if something changes in the bunk as we get further and further into the bunk we’re able to catch the differences and make those changes in the tmr.In my opinion I wouldn’t have put feed in a clamp that previously stored box muck.. when Tom was in the clamp and shown the wall it looked like there was muck still on walls and for me that is a huge a no no.. seeing that the quality of the feed and how it is stored and where it is stored is very important to how your cows produce

[@StephenHall-u4b]

This is going back a long time ago, we fed a protein supplement into the feed and mix truck, chucked the whole bag in. A few days later the cattle started dropping like flies, found out they were poisoned by too much protein. Big mistake not to read the instructions properly. Another great video Tom, dad’s a legend…

[@bobuncle8704]

I love getting into the science/statistics behind farming. A most excellent video. Thanks Tom

[@tobykramer3446]

Here in the north of the US (North Dakota) corn silage (maize to you) is used quite a bit, especially in beef cows. It is also used in the few dairies we have left in our state. Another reason for the use of silage up here is because of the cold temps we face during the winter time....lots of energy in the corn that keeps the furnace of the cow working better and easier especially with sub zero temps we sometimes face. Many seed companies now make varieties especially for the purpose of silage...white cobs, extra leaves, higher sugar content, easier to digest, etc. Look forward to watching the new videos! Keep up the good work!

[@everestyeti]

Out of everything you've done this year, I think for me the main thing was getting the collars, the amount of information gathered about each cow is just off the scale. Its helped you manage the heard and production, plus is a fantastic tool to help with the welfare of the cattle which is always a positive thing. I know a lot of work went into improvements on site, solar, milking parlour etc, but those collars for me have been the real game changer. 👍

[@ipfreely10001]

Tom, ive fed maize to cows, v high yielding from 10 yrs on the dairy at reaseheath college when we had our own home bred holstein cows 10500 litre average, to lower yielding friesian cows in suffolk- it works long term- think of how much 40-50 acres of maize would reduce to acreage of grass silage you would need to do, saving on that cost, this reducing the cost of the maize atm, plus a constant steady diet from end sept, oct when harvested all thro winter until turn out, an ideal buffer at turn out for spring grass, one clamp sheeted up, replacing a possibly less quality 3rd/4th cut clamp, better cow condition, dung, appetite etc etc. Its a win win believe me, 32-34 yrs in dairy and id go for maize every time. But you are further north and quite wet so youd have to pick the land well.

[@darrenslater1913]

i'm an 80's kid. we were told, bread, foraged into science and technology is the future........had i been shown this that is now, back then. you truly motivate and excite. its the blend of animal husbandry, the care, the energy and zeal...... truly inspirational. thankyou

[@charlesbetz5233]

Tom gotta be one of my favorite videos I love hearing the numbers and the effort you put into finding them. Very interesting!

[@jascollinscork]

Finally all the info regarding maize we’ve all been waiting for😃 so which is better….. more milk better quality milk with nicely conditioned cows 🤔😂 also some farmers in 🇮🇪 try to plant the maize early (under plastic if needs be) then chop early and finally bang in grass seeds before winter!!! A lot of 🤞🏻 for weather though 🙂

[@thedairyfarmer8902]

We feed maize on are farm to are dairy cows and we feed 50/50 grass and maize works well good condition and milk yields are up by 30% since we started using it 👍👍

[@EnduroDroneHub]

Tom, as a local myself I can honestly your Dad is a national treasure! He’s such a fountain of knowledge and I really enjoy hearing his life experience. Wish him Good Health From Me (Congratulations on the baby too Tom 🎉)

[@devonshirerussell4485]

Good morning Tom, Dad and lads. I watch your videos over breakfast in the mornings. Always gives me motivation to get things done. Much love hope the family is well.

[@DanielCurious]

We added dried beet pulp to our feed regime; increased butterfat by a whole point on our Holsteins. The corn silage for us helped keep the cows in better condition especially in the hard Midwestern US winters.

[@CharlenePink-Dufresne]

We always fed corn silage to our cows when we used to farm. The silage helped with milk production, and weight, and the meat quality was much better. It creates a marbling in the meat that gives an increased flavor in the meat.

[@hughmarcus1]

I’d disagree. If you’ve ever eaten meat from livestock fed primarily on grass, especially pasture it’s superior to anything that’s eaten grain. You mention corn silage so I assume you’re in the US. In that case I’m afraid you’ve never eaten the superior beef we have in Europe

[@MaartenRobijn]

Liked the 'maize review' and the numbers. To be honest, I can't keep up and don't fully understand. But very interesting to hear. And puts the complexity of farming in perspective!

[@stevenjohns7017]

Growing Limousin beef here (France), Maize plus Blé is number one for us. Great video Tom, thanks for sharing.

[@trippinggauntlet4520]

Ended up stood next to two very large Limousin bulls yesterday, NE UK, not seen many around here, they were so calm and laid back but I was very glad there was a stone wall between us. Are they a nice breed to work with? I've got very much more interested in the different breeds since watching Tom.

[@stevenjohns7017]

@@trippinggauntlet4520 They are pretty good, there are some monster examples around, especially here. Funny though, the most expensive ever Bull was sold in the UK for around 190K and not here. As with all livestock, always be on your toes! Ours are pretty much left alone (Apart from a twice daily walk around) so can be "awkward" sometimes.

[@macaulaybenton7697]

Try the maize in the beef cattle Tom, if you’re seeing benefits in dairy fertility it might then mean it makes sense to have some maize on the farm even if it’s not going in the tank.

[@OOpSjm]

That's what his dad is pushing.

[@thuurspatjens9895]

Tom to evaluate the cornels you can also look in the manure/faeces of the cows, if a lot of cornels are still in the shit then the crusher on the chopper wasn't adjusted rightly, the leaves are a result of the combination from chosen chopping length and the dry matter of the plant.

[@sharonm3677]

Great video Tom. Love hearing you explain what’s happening and what you look for in pros and cons. And I love that you get your dad and Luke’s opinion on their thoughts so you can have different views to think about. You’ve made me appreciate farmers more than I already did. You all work so hard and I truly appreciate it. ❤❤

[@anvil5356]

Interesting video, with the cost/beifit analysis of maze in the feed, It’s a difficult decision, deciding if it is worth it. Especial with so many resent disruptions to your normal milking routine, the bale, dri cows, etc. At this moment in time, you don’t really know if the milk yeald would have been worse if you hadn’t used maze. It would probably be worth trying it (and the uria) in a year when there was less disruption for your cows, especially if you could get the price per tonne down a bit (grow it yourself). Your cows are looking great, which is always a plus

[@DickAnderson-k9y]

What’s the butterfat count ? If it’s higher then it’s working. In the states, in the colder regions. You need the corn silage for keeping the cows warmer which produces more milk with a higher butterfat count. You will see an increase when the cows freshen. Then look at your numbers and compare them. You will likely find that the corn has been working. Good luck and keep up the great content.

[@Aitch-u5g]

Love listening to your Dad's stories. Soooo much experience and knowledge. Well done on everything you're achieving. Bloody hard workers you all are. Love the vids. Keep em coming. All the best.

[@T.M.G2014]

andrew is a wealth of knowledge and a great story teller ... hes some guy

[@Nory_here]

Like the analyses, Tom. Seems you guys have all under control. Great job

[@bluethru808]

Don’t often leave a comment Tom, but thought you explained it all really well and covered everything, enjoyed this video and bizarrely all the numbers and explanations (because you explained it that I could understand) 👍

[@jakobgosch7223]

Congrats for your first heap of maize... we use it a lot in northern germany. Come over if you wanna gather some impressions.

[@Jerry-qv2pf]

Have you ever thought of doing crimped grain either wheat or barley it’s good feed for dairy or beef and also you end up with the straw for bedding. Where you have the round bales would be a ideal place to put it

[@archiecairns2731]

Great video Tom, be interesting to see the full results in 7 weeks when the maze is all gone and the trial has ended. Just be aware that the wee bit maze silage you put in the midden has whole grains in the mix and you can bet that they will germinate in the middle of your grass fields.

[@TifJones-p9z]

The cows getting back into calf is great, that the quality of the milk is better, that the cows have gained weight (it's not easy to put weight on a dairy cow) are great signs that the maize is working well - harder this year to judge the return on the maize investment if you have to take into account the massive changes the cows have had this year - cows are like children, they don't like change, they love routine

[@radharcanna]

The science of farming. Very impressive.

[@Mother..nature..77]

Great video Tom I absolutely love hearing the ginger 😊

[@1ADP]

Love to hear Ginger and his take he’s so knowledgeable your right cannot be really judged fairly with all the changes this year,hope you can buy in again next year.As you said been a terrible year for those getting maize off some missed the window as I understand the dry matter became to low for forage Ollie to the rescue .

[@aaronsanborn4291]

We would often mix in potatoes with our corn silage. You also get more tons of silage per acre with corn compared to grass. Advantage of grass is you can get 2-4 cuttings depending on where you are in the world and you only have to put fertilizer on it instead of replanting, discing etc

[@Tom-gr6nx]

wow loads have happened on your farm since i last watched your videos not been on youtube for a while as been busy i have a new yt name now was tom32 great to be watching your videos again all the best.

[@jowithinshaw4273]

Another super interesting video. Not sure some of the maths you use makes perfect sense, might be slightly confused?? I’m no farmer so might be me. What added value does higher butter fat add to the a litre. It’s great that you consider animal health a serious priority to overall process. Super interesting and thanks for all your efforts in explaining it.

[@derby1919]

Tom I love the handles in the kitchen cupboard, they look like ginger moustaches...😂❤

[@lynneshaw9209]

KEEP UP WITH THE VIDEOS TOM AND HOW IS JOANNA AND BABY BOY DOING ❤

[@irvenrathburn9421]

Hi tom looks like the corn is doing the job so far.

[@alanposkitt9399]

Hi Tom I’m not a farmer but have been watching your videos for years now & have enjoyed most if not all of them but I must admit this one was fantastic, really interesting loved the facts & figures & really helped with understanding what you all have to think about on a daily basis. Congratulations with the baby good luck for the future & keep the videos coming. It’s been amazing seeing the difference over the years & just how the farm has changed for the better for you. 👍👍 Alan

[@AlextheDutchDairyfarmer]

Good luck on the market Tom, and yes maize silage does pay for itself, and it has something where you can't put your finger on.

[@justinmills8084]

Give it time and it will work itself out.

[@davidminish5421]

Would you consider running one side of the back shed as a milking heifer group? Give them a chance to acclimatise to the milking herd without having to fight for social rank in the main herd.

[@farmideas]

Your cows 18:20 look in good condition and you're doing the right thing in keeping good cows which migh thave slipped their calving a few months. Am wondering if you have thought about growing lucerne (alfalfa in the US) . It's my latest must-do fad in Practical Farm Ideas. I am adding info in each issue - including the one coming out next week. Many will keep lucerne growing for five years, they take three cuts/year which can be clamped or wrapped, and it's got good protein. Grows better down south but varieties are improving all the time. Useful video for all dairymen! Will feature in the next Feb's farmideas

[@trevorjarvis3021]

Very, very interesting video Tom. I never in my wildest dreams thought there was so much in milking cows!! This video was truly very informative - thanks to you, your dad and Luke. 🐄🐄🐄🐄🐄🐂🐂🐂😊

[@billsauberlich7337]

In the USA dairies feed a lot of corn silage ,because of usually 3 times the tonnage per acer than hay,which pencils into the cost of production

[@FromLandVegemiteSamich]

Maybe also looking into the science of different varieties of corn etc and see what will benefit your cows the most, I’m not sure if growing your own corn will help or not but it can’t hurt to try, I would think corn needs alot of water so the wetter fields may benefit, do you do perforated drainage pipe installing in your fields to make them more workable and useable like they do in america???

[@willyfindlay4398]

I used straight urea as a fertiliser on my willow cuttings this early summer. They loved it. Applied by plastic measure on each plant, then watered in.😊

[@kevinqueally1079]

Hi Tom, you should try to replace that cover over the shaft at the back of the Keenan or dirt will get in there causing the bearing to fail prematurely

[@kevenhiemie]

Crazy idea. Have you ever thought about testing the alkalinity of your water? Maybe if the water ph can be improved the cows would produce more. Or the water is just perfect, who knows until you test it.

[@StephenHall-u4b]

I like the idea of testing the waters, and the thing we do is let the cows drink as much warm water as they want after calving they love it, but cannot get my son to try it on the herd..

[@macallister]

If you are going to do maize next time its a good idea too put plastic sheet on all the walls in the clamp. your videos are great keep it up.

[@craigwinter5942]

We have just started feeding maize to our herd about 3 months ago and we have found gains in, fertility, milk quality and condition of cows and also intakes are up as it has varied the diet for the cows so we have got an increase of litrees as well. So in our opinion well worth it. maybe not see the yield increase but there other added bonuses that save you allot of money

[@johnwarwick4105]

Not sure what I was expecting but that urea for protein looks just like what you spread on the grass 😂. Hard to believe that little bit will lift the feed protein that much

[@potski01]

Hi Tom can you please do a video on your parlor, you’ve mentioned it loads but I don’t think I’ve seen it , I’m going to scan the rest of your videos ❤

[@matthewpeck4487]

I'm glad I'm not the only 1 with lots of Mark's in my life😂

[@darrencarr9176]

Enjoyed Lukes input

[@JRattheranch]

Before Luke popped in Tom..... I was just about to comment that its not just quantity but quality too! My boys were milking 240 a day in Shropshire xnd they often came home to report that litres were down but fat content was improved! All the milk was destined for Cadburys mind!

[@VolkwardBeyer]

Funny, I worked for 2 Weeks as montage mechanic at the company YARA you got theese bags of protein from in rostock serviceing some pipes and stuff.

[@hourglass899]

A really good and interesting video Tom - nice one! Agree re Luke too!

[@tommyvercetti4040]

Hey Tom, great video! I don't know sh*t about farming, but once again I learned a lot from this. Keep them coming, please. Your videos are highly educational. All of you farmers out there do an absolute killer job. Thank you so much for all the hard work and for putting food on our table !!! Also, if he would be willing ofcourse, could we get some more Luke insights? That guy's work ethics are nothing short of impressive. Being your cow manager, it would be great to learn about his opinion on how the changes that you and your dad bring work out. Maybe an idea for a next vid: what does Luke's day look like, how would he approach things, how does he see and experience the evolution that the farm has been going through, what would he do if it would be up to him etc etc? Keep up the good work.

[@colddiesel]

For a cowman Luke's a good tractor driver too, especially reversing in tight spots!

[@hollandcalf5133]

Nice video. Next time maybe hang some plastic sheet from the top of the sidewall to the bottom of the silo. It prevents to a lot of molding etc.

[@charleslynch7274]

Good luck Tom hope u figure out this maze and maybe give it another shot next year

[@djborud]

Another awesome episode! Thank you Tom and crew!

[@jamesmcclaren6534]

If I had a pound for every time Tom said “really good sheet this “ I’d have like £20 😂👍🏻

[@danwarr934]

Luke is a great herdsman 👍

[@lilacmoo2499]

Love the videos tom and yes you deffo do make sense the way you explain it even I can u understand it amd I dont know much about dairt farming cheers

[@JohntyNich]

Issues appear to be storage, ditch drainage/wet fields, new rules could prevent dumping manure. Think you are doing the right thing by trimming the herd, concentrating on the bottom line and maybe focusing on shop income over cow numbers and being able to be flexible as alternative feed stuff becomes available.

[@michaeld9731]

This was a really interesting video. Thanks for the insight. It was great to hear from Luke, too.

[@ginggur17]

It’s cool to see the figures. 👍👍🇬🇧

[@stablefairy9437]

you are sounding more like your father in this video lol. giving out loads of information as to how your cows are performing. well done!

[@lemonladyYT]

That's why you only change one thing at a time. Next year should be interesting if you add the maize without any other changes around the same time.

[@melissascy13]

Tom I enjoyed the rant thank you I am in the states and am always looking at numbers with my beefers and dairy goats so it always interests me what other farmers are doing to try and better their own stock

[@lesleyboeder1798]

I would wait till spring to give the final verdict on corn. In ontsrio were I live I think 60 percent corn 40 percent grass is average feed ration.but we get very cold snowy winters .so cows need more quality feed

[@jeremymulder2453]

Tom. I'm a fan of "corn silage" and yes I'm from north America! There is one number you left out in your financial talk, acres! For Europe, UK or even here is southwestern ontario is the amount of acres needed to feed a cow. I can run 50% less acres to feed my herd! With those extra acres I now grow some cash crops. So now not only are my cows doing well (they're a little stale too) I have another line of cash flow👍

[@chrismann2954]

Tom, I think you have the information, but you are missing the question. Profitability? What is the output profit based on grass silage versus output profit based on corn silage? Is the cost worth the spend?

[@keithwheeler8875]

What a really interesting video as an ex herdsman I found it fascinating at the moment it's very difficult for you to judge what's affected what with the bale and the new parlour plus the addition of the collars and throwing maize into the mix its difficult to know what's affecting yield and what's affecting fertility. Maize could be a good option going forwards providing you have land that you will get it off or spread the risk and grow it elsewhere but this being one of the wettest years you'll know what's wet and what isn't And of course the other end of the scale you've got have land wet enough for it to grow in summer Richard Cornock fell fowl to that scenario last year after the heatwave meant his maize only grew waste high because he's only got a couple of inches of soil over rock

[@andrewwebb2691]

Can use màize for beef fattening, try molases but only small amount it sweetens the mix and cattle love it used to use bout 20 ltrs in a1.5 tonne mix

[@gert-janhendriksen8593]

Mighty interesting video Tom! I take a very similar approach to the stud I manage: constantly on the numbers to keep finetuning and optimizing production and thereby reducing cost per produced unit.

[@brood6989]

Interesting maize summary Tom, fantastic. The one thing I've missed; did you see any change in the milk-protein after you've added the urea to the cows diet?

[@danielmeredith6165]

Your ration Tom, have you got scratch factor? If you look at high yield rations they more often than not have wheat straw chopped for it’s scratch factor to help the stomach work efficiently. MB prime is something I used to have to add to blends to bind mycotoxins and was always told maize and certain types of grass silage benefit greatly from it

[@agarsorchids7708]

Loved this video Tom, very interesting topic, keep them coming!!!❤

[@beardy4831]

Like Luke's take on the maize. Immediate opinion that yes it helps, just not by the metrics you see on the computer. Sometimes it's hard to quantify the benefits you suspect you're getting.

[@robertmacauley7891]

I feed maize a lot of maize here in Northern Ireland and getting it to grow and getting it cut isn’t a problem, we’re a similar climate to you. But to get the real benefit of maize your going to need to cut your grass alot younger and more often as you don’t have enough protein or energy in it. You also won’t see the real lift in yield until mid January when maize starch becomes fully available after 3 months fermentation

[@marketmalc]

Thanks Tom. Figures are always worth a look at. Good vid.

[@lindaarmstrongjackman9788]

Thanks Tom. The numbers do count. Everything is a trade-off, i.e. higher quality milk vs higher volume, lower quality milk. You have made a lot of changes in a short time: milking bale to new parlour and now collars. It should all be clearer in a few more months. 👍😊👍

[@tony78652]

what about using the field alongside the farm track, the one you use to park the cars in.

[@fullmoonflockstock6929]

The corn sileage would be great for your beef stock to help put body condition on better.

[@grassfolk]

I’m new, I’m really liking the longer in-depth videos- it’s especially nice to get the outcome in the same video. Not sure you’ll see this, but in case you do, I had a question about the rotary - not sure if it’s the same with your setup too - how long does each cow milk for? How did the rotary know when to detach? When it needed to stay on longer for that high production cow, did it speed up to catch up after? I wish we’d seen the cows offload too - I need to fall down a milking rabbit hole I think 🙈

[@patrickosullivan4021]

Ur dad is mega tom, ask him what does he think of for next year, maybe the same amount of maize & then do 10 acres of whole crop as well. Great video regards pat

[@14rs2]

Are you going to be mixing grass and maize to have healthier cows through the year?