Grass Growth: There was a massive jump in grass growth across the country last week. Don’t let covers get too strong. Skip over any paddocks that are gone too strong and cut them for silage. Information is key, you must walk your farm, even if you’re not measuring, and get a picture of how much grass you have and then make decisions. See more in Grass+ on page 38.

Calves: Calves should be getting their first dose now, if they haven’t been dosed already. You’ve three options here: either give them a white drench-type product that requires dosing every three weeks or so, use an ivermectin type product which lasts longer, or else go for the long-acting wormer (Cydectin LA). There are pros and cons to each. From a labour point of view, the longer-acting products are easier to use as one dose covers the calves for longer, but they are more expensive to buy. Of course, calves should be brought into the crush anyway for weighing at least twice between now and September, with the lighter calves separated and given preferential treatment. Some farmers will give a mineral drench or a mineral bolus to the calves now too, along with the second Blackleg vaccine, if not already given. Where grass quality is good – young, lush, leafy grass – meal feeding should not be necessary. Where grass quality is poorer or where calves are well behind, then 1kg of meal per head might be necessary, at least until after grass comes on-stream. Watch for crows, they are carriers of coccidiosis and I’m hearing reports of some cases.

Reseeds: Reseeds have taken a bit of a hammering over the past few weeks with all the cold and wet. While the last week has been good, many are still struggling. Germination was slow due to the cold nights and some seeds may have been lost in the frost. I don’t think pests, such as slugs, have been an issue, but check anyway. Now would be a good time to give a top-up of nitrogen to give seeds a lift. On spraying, the feelings are that even the earliest sown crops are a bit too light to be sprayed just yet. Even though weeds are present, the grass is just that bit too weak to withstand the stress of the herbicide. Docks are the most important weed to kill – the rule of thumb for best time to spray is when the first leaf is the size of a €2 coin.

Meal: Now that grass is in plentiful supply on most farms, the economic response to feeding meals for driving milk production is questionable. A lot depends on your herd’s predicted difference for milk, but for most Irish herds the return will be breakeven at the very best, plus grass utilisation will drop and it will be harder to clean out paddocks. Some farmers have stopped feeding meal completely and are taking a chance on grass tetany – some farms are more prone to tetany, but 1kg of meal with cal mag might be cheap insurance if you’re uncertain about your farm’s status – at least until the end of June.