Fertiliser deadline looming:

We are now into September, and with a reasonably dry week forecast, most farmers are currently applying the last round. In most cases, application rates are varying between 20 and 30 units N/acre, with compound being the preferred choice on land that is low in phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). The deadline for chemical fertiliser is September 14, regardless of what zone you are in. It may also be a good opportunity to empty any slurry tanks that have not yet been spread. In some cases, the rehousing of cattle has left slurry in tanks that would normally be empty. When grass covers allow and land is trafficable, the quicker the slurry goes out the better. Don’t leave it too late or ground conditions could catch you. With the rotation now running at close to 30 to 40 days on many farms, target low covers that will not be grazed again till the end of the next rotation. Always use a little and often approach with slurry; and the more watery it is the better. Avoid spreading when heavy rain is forecast or where ground is waterlogged to avoid run-off. For those with farmyard manure to spread, the deadline is the end of October. Ideally this will be targeted to bare swards at closing to allow time for it to rot into the ground.

Fodder quality and budgeting:

With fodder made on almost all farms at this stage, it may be worth considering having silage tested now, in advance of the winter, to start to plan winter supplementation early. Taking a few samples from the silage pit or bales will give a better indication of the average feed quality of the silage. While average-quality 66 to 68DMD silage is sufficient to maintain suckler cow condition when fed ad-lib, it is advisable to keep top quality 70+DMD silage separate to feed to weanlings, store or finishing cattle to reduce supplementation rates while keeping liveweight gains high. Early indications would suggest that where silage was harvested in good weather, quality may be slightly higher this year compared to last year. While good yields this year have resulted in plenty of silage in reserve on most farms, if you have upped numbers in the past twelve months, then carrying out a fodder budget early is crucial.

Autumn farm walks:

The first of the Autumn BETTER Farm walks takes place on Niall and Jane Patterson’s farm near Carrigallen, Co Leitrim on Tuesday next. The farm will showcase progress to date and detail the key challenges they have faced to increase the gross margin on a very heavy mixed farm. On 15 September the second walk will take place on Sean Power’s farm in Kilkenny. As the Power’s farm is a store-to-beef finishing farm, a special beef finishing forum will take place at the end of the walk with a special panel of farmer, factory and industry representatives.