Grass: Some farmers took a chance late last week and over the weekend to get the second-cut silage and surplus paddocks cut. While some got caught in rain showers, I think they were right to take the risk as the longer this grass remains uncut, the more supplement you will have to feed in late August and September to build up grass covers.

The forecast for the next five days is mixed enough, but the south and southeast should be relatively dry. The north and west are forecast to be wetter, with the likelihood of getting field work done slimmer.

On the Grass+ page this week (page 38), we go into a bit more detail on building grass covers for autumn. Basically, rotation length should be gradually extended by about two days per week from this week on. The overall objective is to have sufficient grass on the farm next spring to allow early turnout, but also to keep grass in the diet for as long as possible this autumn.

Ground conditions: Keeping with the weather, most of the west and north have experienced torrential rain over the last few days, which has made grazing very difficult. Some farmers have had no choice but to house cows on occasion because land is just too wet. While every case is different, too many of the farms that have cows housed have spent little or nothing on the grazing infrastructure (roadways, paddocks, multiple access points) that would facilitate grazing in these conditions. While this year is probably not the year to do it because of milk prices, the return on capital from undertaking this kind of work is huge as the cost of the alternative is so high (silage, meal, drop in solids, etc).

Reseeding: Like second-cut silage, this is the final call for reseeding in 2015, particularly for land on the milking platform. With any fields sprayed now out of action for at least two months, the earliest they will be grazed again is 1 October – again this will depend on the weather at the time. Perhaps it would make more sense to wait until next April or May.

Discussion Groups: Now is the time to start planning an annual discussion group outing. This is a must for all groups. The outing should have two objectives. Firstly, to provide a learning experience and secondly, to provide a social/bonding aspect.

To maximise the learning element, good farmers should be picked, they should be well sussed out beforehand and the profit monitor, or equivalent, should be available to the group – having no financial information is like shooting in the dark. Perhaps a sub group should be set up to organise the trip. If at all possible, try to get away for a night or two to enhance the social side of the event.