Planning ahead now with some basic but fundamental steps on grass budgeting will guarantee grass is available next spring for the herd.
Growth is slowing down on project farms, with both farms in Cavan experiencing heavy rainfall every other day. The heavy rain lowers ground temperatures and affects growth.
Despite the heavy rain, both Cavan farms are coping with ground conditions, with minimal damage in paddocks.
Both farms have had increased volume and milk solids this year, with excellent grazing conditions and steady grass growth.
Planning
Planning the autumn grazing is important – irrespective of the volume of silage made on each farm or how long autumn ground conditions allow grazing to continue.
The following guidelines are being used to manage grass across the Dairylink farms:
Start closing paddocks from 1 October – this is the start of the final rotation on the farm; don’t graze these paddocks for the rest of the year.Target housing period 1 to 15 November – all stock.Graze paddocks with good roadway access first in the last round, as these will be grazed first in the spring.Target closing average farm cover (AFC) of no less than 500kg/ha (2,000kg total cover) at the end of grazing in early November. To achieve this, AFC should be 950kg to 1,100kg at peak in late September. Feed concentrate or quality round bales or reduce stocking rate if behind grass targets and unlikely to reach peak or closing farm covers. This will require weekly grass measurement and working with the budget.Don’t let any other stock graze during the winter. Spread slurry on paddocks as they are closed.Spread nitrogen in early February.David Brady
Stradone, Co Cavan
Currently, we have 40ha on the grazing block. This is after the improvement work was completed this year and is adjusted for total area available for grazing, so excludes farm lanes and hedges.
This year, we have been generating surplus forage on the farm, with the new reseeded area and improvement work over the past two years effectively meaning the grazing block is growing more grass than the cows can eat.
Currently we are stocked at two cows/ha on the platform, because we wanted to get the grass growing before we increased cow numbers. With the surplus grass now available, I am confident the farm can carry more milking cows.
The target next year will be to push numbers up to 100 cows milking, which will lift the stocking rate to 2.5/ha, pushing the herd demand to 42kg DM/ha ((100 cows * 17kgDM/day)/40ha). This stocking rate should still be comfortable with some surplus still coming from the grazing block in peak growth periods.
This year, 400 bales have been taken from the platform and we must carry the associated cost of this. Next year, the increased cow numbers will reduce this and the plan is to convert extra grass straight into milk.
Heifers due in February 2018 will grow the herd after culls have been taken out, but I expect an additional 10 in-calf heifers or cows will need to be purchased to get 100 milking next year.
Winter forage is not an issue on this farm, as I have two silage pits and the surplus bales taken from the platform. My biggest challenge is getting the farm set up for autumn grazing. While the herd grass demand is stable, growth is starting to slow down here so I need to ensure I have enough grass ahead of the herd.
Current average farm cover is 640kg/ha, with the growth rate averaging 53kg/day over the past three weeks. The final rotation will start on 1 October with a target average farm cover of 1,000kg.
I will take some more silage off the platform this week, which will reduce average cover. My target is 750kg/ha average farm cover by 1 September and rotation length will be around 30 days. Growth tails off on this farm around mid-September, which will be the peak farm cover of 1,100kgDM/ha – enough to carry the herd to the end of October when cows will be housed.
The target closing cover will be 500kg DM/ha. I am up to date with nitrogen on the farm, but cold conditions are holding back the growth. We are 500ft above sea level, which affects soil temperature here. Ground conditions may deteriorate early, in which case cows may have to be housed before November.
Planning ahead now with some basic but fundamental steps on grass budgeting will guarantee grass is available next spring for the herd.
Growth is slowing down on project farms, with both farms in Cavan experiencing heavy rainfall every other day. The heavy rain lowers ground temperatures and affects growth.
Despite the heavy rain, both Cavan farms are coping with ground conditions, with minimal damage in paddocks.
Both farms have had increased volume and milk solids this year, with excellent grazing conditions and steady grass growth.
Planning
Planning the autumn grazing is important – irrespective of the volume of silage made on each farm or how long autumn ground conditions allow grazing to continue.
The following guidelines are being used to manage grass across the Dairylink farms:
Start closing paddocks from 1 October – this is the start of the final rotation on the farm; don’t graze these paddocks for the rest of the year.Target housing period 1 to 15 November – all stock.Graze paddocks with good roadway access first in the last round, as these will be grazed first in the spring.Target closing average farm cover (AFC) of no less than 500kg/ha (2,000kg total cover) at the end of grazing in early November. To achieve this, AFC should be 950kg to 1,100kg at peak in late September. Feed concentrate or quality round bales or reduce stocking rate if behind grass targets and unlikely to reach peak or closing farm covers. This will require weekly grass measurement and working with the budget.Don’t let any other stock graze during the winter. Spread slurry on paddocks as they are closed.Spread nitrogen in early February.David Brady
Stradone, Co Cavan
Currently, we have 40ha on the grazing block. This is after the improvement work was completed this year and is adjusted for total area available for grazing, so excludes farm lanes and hedges.
This year, we have been generating surplus forage on the farm, with the new reseeded area and improvement work over the past two years effectively meaning the grazing block is growing more grass than the cows can eat.
Currently we are stocked at two cows/ha on the platform, because we wanted to get the grass growing before we increased cow numbers. With the surplus grass now available, I am confident the farm can carry more milking cows.
The target next year will be to push numbers up to 100 cows milking, which will lift the stocking rate to 2.5/ha, pushing the herd demand to 42kg DM/ha ((100 cows * 17kgDM/day)/40ha). This stocking rate should still be comfortable with some surplus still coming from the grazing block in peak growth periods.
This year, 400 bales have been taken from the platform and we must carry the associated cost of this. Next year, the increased cow numbers will reduce this and the plan is to convert extra grass straight into milk.
Heifers due in February 2018 will grow the herd after culls have been taken out, but I expect an additional 10 in-calf heifers or cows will need to be purchased to get 100 milking next year.
Winter forage is not an issue on this farm, as I have two silage pits and the surplus bales taken from the platform. My biggest challenge is getting the farm set up for autumn grazing. While the herd grass demand is stable, growth is starting to slow down here so I need to ensure I have enough grass ahead of the herd.
Current average farm cover is 640kg/ha, with the growth rate averaging 53kg/day over the past three weeks. The final rotation will start on 1 October with a target average farm cover of 1,000kg.
I will take some more silage off the platform this week, which will reduce average cover. My target is 750kg/ha average farm cover by 1 September and rotation length will be around 30 days. Growth tails off on this farm around mid-September, which will be the peak farm cover of 1,100kgDM/ha – enough to carry the herd to the end of October when cows will be housed.
The target closing cover will be 500kg DM/ha. I am up to date with nitrogen on the farm, but cold conditions are holding back the growth. We are 500ft above sea level, which affects soil temperature here. Ground conditions may deteriorate early, in which case cows may have to be housed before November.
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