The main aim of installing the out of parlour feeders (OOPF) was to reduce concentrate wastage by improving the efficiency of the concentrate fed. In order to establish the interim effect of the OOPF in the CREAM unit, a comparison was required.

The feeders were installed in late April 2006 so it must be highlighted that they have not been in use for a full year therefore a complete economic appraisal of their performance is not available (this will be presented at the next board meeting). However, in an attempt to approximate their benefits an interim performance appraisal has been carried out.

The total amount of concentrate fed in the intervening period from the OOPFs installation (30 weeks from May 2006 until mid November 2006) was calculated. as 2200 KG. A crude estimate of projected usage over a 52 week period was found by multiplying 2200 KG by 1.73 (52/30) giving an estimate of 3812 KG for 52 weeks.

From April 2005 to March 2006 an average cow in the CREAM unit consumed 4045 KG of concentrate. This was 545 KG above the target figure of 3500 KG.

The addition of the out of parlour feeders will mean that significant savings can be made from concentrate purchases. In the period from April 2005 to March 2006 £660 per cow was spent on concentrates. If the estimated figure of 3812 KG is used and an average concentrate price of £151, the average cost of feeding concentrates to a CREAM cow is £575. This equates to a saving of £85 per cow. If the herd averages 30 cows, this saving amounts to £2550 per year.

There are also many health benefits associated with out of parlour feeders. Body condition scores have always been below target in CREAM in recent years. However, with the installation of the new feeders, we have seen average Body Condition Score increase (refer to previous section). This can be explained by the fact that with concentrate feeding being regulated there is better utilization of feed. There is also a stabilising effect on rumen pH and this has resulted in a reduction in cow stomach problems from 12 cases in 2005 (per 100 cows) down to 3 cases in 2006 (per 100 cows).