COVID-19 impact: Dairy cows' feed under alarm, imported hay shipping delayed, domestic forage-growing areas face development and loss, becoming a future concern
The Wuhan pneumonia outbreak has triggered fluctuations in food supply and demand. Besides affecting humans, it has also affected dairy cows' feed. Fifty percent of the hay demand of the domestic dairy industry relies on imports. Recently, due to unstable shipping schedules, dairy farmers say, "In the past, we ordered one container at a time; now one container has to be distributed among two or three households," and they worry that supply problems may arise in the future.
Huang Yan-liang, secretary-general of the Forage Association, said, "Everyone wants to increase their stockpiles, so the supply becomes tight. Overall there is no shortage, it's just that arrival times are dragged out." However, Huang also cautioned that productive forage farms need extensive, large-area planting, yet Taiwan Sugar Corporation's land is being developed batch after batch. Take the Shalun Farm in Tainan as an example: it is a very good forage-producing area, yet it is expected to be developed into a green energy park within two years. The excellent domestic forage-producing areas are shrinking rather than growing, and this is the real concern for the dairy industry.
International freight times are dragged out, dairy farmers simultaneously raise their inventory levels, and supply tightness appears
The domestic dairy industry has four major production areas, located respectively in Liuying, Tainan; Wandan, Pingtung; Fuxing, Changhua; and Lunbei, Yunlin, accounting for about seventy percent of the nation's milk production. Recently dairy farmers have reported that imported forage has been affected by the pandemic and supply has become tight.
The domestic dairy industry's hay demand is around 500,000 tonnes, of which domestic production accounts for about 220,000-250,000 tonnes, a share of slightly more than half, with the main types being tropical forage grasses such as pangola grass, Nile grass, and napier grass grown for green chop. Imports are about 200,000 tonnes, accounting for 40-50%, with the main types being alfalfa, sweet oats, and Bermuda grass, and the main origins being the United States and Australia. Because the rainy summers domestically affect the harvest, the domestic forage share fluctuates slightly, and imported forage has high nutritional value; even though its price is more than twice that of domestic forage, it remains an important feed for dairy farmers in feeding lactating cows.
Li Jun-nan, head of the third dairy farmer production and marketing group of the Fuxing Township Farmers' Association, said, "I've heard shipping schedules are somewhat unstable, so out of expectation everyone orders more to fill up their forage stores. In principle, each dairy farming household has about one month of basic inventory. If everyone orders, but the forage merchants' volume per period remains fixed, then they can only supply by allocation." Li also believes that "the current situation is not yet cause for too much worry, and there is actually no need to stockpile. Taiwan is hot and humid, and alfalfa cannot be stored; if left too long it will mold."
Chen Kuang-hsiung, head of the dairy farmer production and marketing group of the Wandan Township Farmers' Association, raises three to four hundred dairy cows. He said, "Forage is very hard to order now, and US shipping schedules are not smooth, so dairy farmers are starting to get nervous." Right now forage ordering is a bit unable to keep up, but he does not dare stockpile either, since each order is at least one or two containers, and the pasture does not have that much space; maintaining normal inventory is enough. He believes that, just like the fertilizer chaos, farmers' expectations will also lead them to deploy in advance. "The cows have to eat every day, so it's better to stockpile a bit more or less. Others can go short, but I don't want to be the one who goes short."
Related Articles
- How to prevent and control rabies in dogs? Timely vaccination of puppies ensures safety
- How to Explore Keelung's Fishing Port Docks? Practical Tips for Picking Fresh Seafood
- The Slow Food movement advocates that how you eat matters more than what you eat, helping you eat your way to health
- How to Identify Inferior Cooking Oil? Key Points for Quality Control from Cultivation to Purchase
- Which agricultural activities require tax payment? The ranch court case clarifies the boundary of tax exemption
- Ractopamine, a lean meat agent, is banned; scientific pig farming to increase lean meat percentage is the right path
- Horizontal Windbreak Nets for Welsh Onion Cultivation in Winter Reduce Losses
- Top Ten Fungicides Ranking Released, a Useful Reference for Farmers Choosing Products