Feed is the biggest controllable cost on most dairy farms, and the easiest place to quietly lose money. George Dodson and Conan Moynihan sit down with dairy nutritionist Shaun Balemi (myCOW) on feeding efficiency: fillers vs concentrates, early vs late lactation, palm kernel and protein, what rumination data is really telling you, and what nutrition does to in-calf rates. Plus why a hungry cow is a stressed cow — and an expensive one. George puts his own farm up for some free consulting.

More from Shaun: https://mycow.nz

CHAPTERS

00:00 A hungry cow is a stressed cow

00:32 How good's dairy?

01:11 Thirty years in, and what farmers taught him

03:08 Three big opportunities for New Zealand dairy

05:01 Drowning in data: which numbers actually matter

06:46 George on farm: stock sense vs the computer

10:06 Collars, rumination and reading the paddock

11:32 Feeding efficiency without breaking the bank

14:30 What counts as a starchy feed

15:23 Pasture-only vs a complete diet, and the digestion army

17:23 Fillers vs concentrates, and what NDF means

19:25 When early lactation becomes late lactation

20:07 Palm kernel, DDG and getting the protein right

22:53 Can you actually measure the payback?

25:08 Pasture harvested per hectare: the number that pays

27:29 Silage quality: New Zealand's blind spot

29:13 Nutrition and reproduction: consistency is the lever

31:53 Minerals, selenium, B12 and the transition window

35:06 Soil, nutrient density and where this is heading

36:58 Shaun's one piece of advice

39:46 Where to find Shaun and myCOW

41:02 Takeaways and wrap

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