Dairy

Exceptional growth rates continue for August

The good growth, driven by exceptionally mild weather and adequate rainfall in most parts, continues unabated. Most should have taken whatever steps are necessary to get rid of surplus grass at this stage or have introduced extra stock to handle the surplus. Cutting out paddocks from now on does not make much sense.

• S Tipperary is now pushing out the grass that he fertilised for two weeks ago. You can see his growth rate of 68 is now way above his demand, which remains at 27. This means he is building grass on the farm, just as he would have wished, for his autumn calvers. He is still topping the paddocks that get stemmy so that he has good quality grass coming back.

• NE Cork is grazing covers of 2000 kg DM. His stocking rate at the moment is 3.4 LU/ha. Cows are milking four gallons at 3.95% fat and 3.45% protein. All ground is now back in the grazing area.

• SW Wexford is still bordering on a drought situation but covers have taken a jump. Cows are milking 4.4 gallons.

• SW Cork is delighted with the win on Sunday and maintains they are not going to leave Croke Park without the McCarthy this year. Growth rates have been excellent and average farm cover is bang on budget. Growing conditions are ideal.

• E Donegal has brought in two more hectares. Growth rates have been excellent and continue to be far from anything ever achieved in August before.

• Mid Clare is back from hols and growth is still very good. He has close to 340 kg/cow and he is going into covers of 1900 kg DM/ha. Stocking rate is 2.65 cows/ha and he received 21 mm of rain and soil temperatures are running at around 19 degrees Celsius. Cows are milking 4.1 gallons at 3.47% protein and 4.10% fat. Covers are a little high in some paddocks but quality is excellent.

• Waterford is delighted with growth rates. He is running around on a 27 day rotation. He will introduce 3 kg of meals soon due to his demand so that he can build a little more grass. He is spreading 37 units of nitrogen after grazing. Cows are milking 4.4 gallons.

• SE Galway has taken out a paddock for bales. Cows are milking 18 litres. He started dusting paddocks for grass tetany on a precautionary basis.

Bull in or out

Many heated arguments take place at discussion groups around now as to whether the stock bull should be pulled out of the herd. The reality is for most spring calving herds there should not be a whole lot of activity now so it is not going to make a whole lot of difference.

Some commentators suggest that it is a case of biting the bullet and the bull should be taken out the end of July no matter what. Any cows not in calf should be culled. Financially it can be an important decision and it very much depends on where you are coming from. If you have less than 50 cows and there are three or four cows not in calf then is that extra week or two in the herd going to make all that much difference? I think leaving him in is justified.

Then on the other hand if you have 80+ cows and you are under more pressure in the spring workload can be interfered with and maybe being able to say the last cow is calving is more important. If you are already compact calving the decision is easier if it is scattered the temptation is to get that little bit more out of the breeding season. The decision is very farm specific.

One thing is certain: every group that discusses cows that have been recycled to the following year, all you hear is sob stories. Farmers find it justifiably hard if the cow is a good milker to cull her. They are let run around for a year and usually gain huge condition. At calving they have trouble, lose the calf and maybe the cow, calve down with mastitis, get sick after calving, milk fever, etc. For the majority they are not successful. Selling in calf or factory fat cows seem the best options.

Winter alternatives to grass silage

The high cost of grass silage means concentrates and even other forage crops seem to be getting good press of late. Lack of housing for young stock or surplus cows is often also a reason for growing an alternative. When setting other forage crops remember the basics:

* Site and soil type is important. Some shelter, dry run off, or out crop is needed. If you have a very heavy soil then it will be very difficult to graze even in a good year and utilisation will be a problem.

* Some farmers who have grazed these forage crops in the past have had big feet problems such as foot diseases when grazing in the winter.

* Some perceived animal welfare problems. There might be possible environmental problems also as ground is usually reddened and open to leaching when grazed.

* Can we achieve reasonable economic yields in a typical winter?

* Iodine deficiencies can be an issue on brassicas and supplementation either through drinking water or direct injection might be required.

Far from downgrading the option I know some very good farmers who are grazing young stock on these crops very successfully, once supplemented with round bale silage. They take them off the crop in late January, early February and if they can go onto good grass they seem to thrive excellently.

Rape, stubble turnips, and Westerworlds are the options left now. They will cost approx €100 per acre to sow. Building grass is also an option. You do not want more than 2,500kg at grazing. Dry cow allowance 15kg DM/day. Maize silage/Wholecrop are options at €100/ton DM.

We await hard scientific and economic evaluations of these crops before they can be justified in an Irish context.