How to Improve Farm Efficiency

How to Improve FARM EFFICIENCY Energy Efficiency How is energy used? Horticulture Poultry farming Energy is mostly used in housing poultry and making sure they have a safe environment. Pig Farming Energy is used in feeding, waste management, emissions control, environmental protection and building services. 90% of the energy used in greenhouses goes towards heating (for plant growth). Dairy Lighting and pumping uses up energy, as well as cooling, water heating and power in general. Crop stores Combinable The amount of energy used relates directly to the amount of insulation in use and the external crops Often there is a lot of energy wasted in the storing and drying of crops. temperature. How to Save Energy Controls Changing the location and settings of controls can cut costs without effecting staff/livestock. Maintenance You can often introduce energy- saving measures during regular maintenance at no extra cost. Switching Oft All equipment and machinery that isn't in use needs to be switched off. Try using timers. Herd Efficiency How to Take Care of the Herd Efficiently 1 Ration minerals Test the soil and forages to see what minerals they do or don't contain. You might be giving stock unnecessary extra minerals. 2 Increase milk yield Work out what pays more - the yield or constituents. Sometimes a few more litres of milk can make a difference, so work together with a nutritionist and vet to up those milk production targets. 3 Save on forage Forage isn't cheap so make sure there's no wastage. Consider how efficient your harvesting, ensiling, feeding and cow use is to make further savings on forage. Monitor forage Monitor individual forage dry matters and the total mied ration with a moisture tester. If it's too dry or too wet, production could be compromised. 5 Score manure This is the best way to test the efficiency of the feed and ration. Looking at consistency and sieving the matter can also indicate the efficiency of digestion. 6 Rear heifers effectively The most cost-effective time to calve heifers is at 24 months. Make sure the heifer is 60% of its mature weight at service and 85% of its mature weight at calving. 7 Improve fertility Analyse the overall conception statistics and single out the stale cows. These cows waste resources and man hours. Labour Efficiency How to Deal With Labour Shortages Many farms simply rely on family labour. Either way, farmers must create strategies to ensure productivity among staff. Where there is a labour shortage the only solution is to increase the use of equipment and technology on the farm. Labour-saving machinery may also cut costs, seeing as the price of manpower is on the rise, Agricultural trailers can be particularly useful when it comes to reducing labour costs and man hours on the farm. They make transporting large quantities of feed and other equipment quick and ´ ARWALD TANKER TRAILERS C www.arwald.co.za easy. Sources http://www.carbontrust.com/resources/guides/sector-based-advice/agriculture-and-horticulture http://www.fwi.co.uk/livestock/10-marginal-gains-dairy-farmers-can-make.htm http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic-sitemap/theme/spi/agricultural- mechanization/agricultural-mechanization-home/en/