Grass growth took a big hit this week, though latest farm walks had been carried out before the effects of the warm spell at the beginning of week could be felt.

With the good weather, many of our BETTER farmers are reporting that grass utilisation increased drastically. Farmers on wetter ground took advantage of the drying conditions and looked to clean out paddocks to 4cm of a residual where possible.

That said, it looks like we’re in store for a relatively wet weekend, with temperatures set to fall from the highs experienced early in the week. At this point in August we should be building up the grass supply for the autumn.

While cattle eating silage headlands and indeed the return of silage ground to the grazing system will help to lift a farm’s grass supply, don’t take this for granted. Grass growth rates can easily fall by 20% in the space of days. Blanket-spread the farm with nitrogen now and work on soil nutrients while grass is growing well – the clock is ticking toward the closed period and best response to fertiliser is when growth is good.

The weather in recent weeks has lent itself to good conditions for calving cows outdoors and our autumn-calvers are reporting very few issues with calving or subsequent calf health.

The challenge with autumn-calving cows is not to lose more than 0.5 of a body condition score between calving and breeding. Excess condition loss lends itself to depressed fertility.

Keep her on good grass and it is no harm to use a nut to supplement magnesium in the initial weeks, for two reasons. Firstly, as is obvious, it’ll help boost her energy intake and keep condition on track. Secondly, fresh autumn-calvers are usually kept in fields adjacent to yards. These are usually the fields that receive the most slurry on a farm.

Lots of slurry equals lots of K (potassium) which negatively affects magnesium uptake. While cattle are in these fields, don’t have them relying solely on lick buckets as a magnesium source. The sudden stress of a newborn calf and a wet weekend could be the perfect grass tetany storm.

Willie Treacy

Co Louth

Farming system Suckler to beef

Land type Dry

Average farm cover (kg DM/ha) 846

Stocking rate (LU/ha) 3.03

Growth rate (kg DM/ha/day) 86

Growth is still flying along here. I’m building up my grass covers at the minute. The aim is for an average farm cover of 750kg DM/ha at closing up in mid-October. At the minute, I’m operating at an AFC of 850kg DM/ha, which is probably bang on the money. I have 17 days of grazing on the farm. It’ll peak sometime in September when the magic day comes (grass growth = daily grass demand), then it’ll begin to drop as growth slows. Grass quality is generally not an issue on my farm – there are enough mouths to keep stem out of the sward. I have my pH (lime), P and K at optimum levels and the farm is giving me a lot back now in terms of growth.

Autumn calving is coming along nicely. We’re two-thirds of the way though and there is no drama to report so far. Last year’s autumn bulls are getting a couple of kilos of meal at grass presently and they’ll come in for finishing very soon.

Marty Lenehan

Co Sligo

Farming system Suckler to weanling

Land type Mixed

Average farm cover (kg DM/ha) -

Stocking rate (LU/ha) -

Growth rate (kg DM/ha/day) -

The last of my second cut came at the beginning of the week during the dry spell. Unfortunately the weather has taken a turn since and I’m keeping a close eye on ground conditions. Grass supply is good and the silage ground coming back in will boost my supplies moving into the autumn. I’ll start closing up paddocks in mid-October. I house the autumn calvers for AI breeding early in November which relieves a big part of my grass demand.

My 2015 autumn weanlings were offloaded last week and I was delighted with what they got. I sold them privately in the yard. The buyer said that he couldn’t leave without taking them. They were well-bred continental types and their weight for age was phenomenal. I’d introduced meal to them three to four weeks beforehand and their cows had gotten no meal in the winter. Focusing on breeding and good-quality silage reaps rewards.

Billy Gilmore

Co Galway

Farming system Beef heifer rearing

Land type Mixed

Average farm cover (kg DM/ha) -

Stocking rate (LU/ha) -

Growth rate (kg DM/ha/day) -

We didn’t fertilise for second-cut silage this year and I’ve been able to build sufficient fodder stocks by just removing paddocks from the grazing ground. It’s been a bumper period for growth in recent weeks. On one occasion I went to fertilise a paddock that’d been baled a week previous and the recovery was that good that I turned the tractor around. I’ll graze it in the coming days and then go with fertiliser. It’s principally 18-6-12 or 10-10-20 going out here – with grass going so well I’m taking the opportunity to work on the soil indexes.

I contract-rear the heifers for the Newford Herd. Of next year’s spring-calvers, 23 of 25 proved in calf. They’re following this year’s calves in a leader-follower grazing system at present. On Saturday 10 September at 1pm I am selling 52 of my own continental heifers at a special sale in Tuam mart. They weight about 700kg and are in-calf to Limousin AI bulls HCA and ZAG.

Mike Dillane

Co Kerry

Farming system Suckler to beef

Land type Heavy

Average farm cover (kg DM/ha) -

Stocking rate (LU/ha) -

Growth rate (kg DM/ha/day) -

I’ve taken a pile of surplus grass out in the last three weeks. I reckon there are 300 bales in the yard from extra grass alone this year. My soil P and K concentrations are low according to soil tests from the end of last year so I’ve been working on them with slurry and 18-6-12. I try to reseed around 10 acres each year, usually choosing rough, weedy ground or ground that’s slacking growth-wise. Nine acres were done last week.

The first of last year’s bulls will come in today. They’re around 500kg and will be gone in November at 14 months of age. When my sheds are empty during the grazing season I buy in bulls to boost the farm’s output. I finish them intensively for 100-120 days indoors. It’s a nice way to get more beef out the gate, but buying price is very important. You need to have your sums done. I’m finished buying in stock now for 2016 – my own bulls need the shed space!

Read more

Grass+ dairy: Grass growth slows in the east