The continued dry weather in many areas has resulted in grass growth dropping quickly on some farms. However, in contrast, strong growth rates are occurring on heavy farms or where rain has fallen in recent days.

Farmers on dry ground are seeing their average farm covers dropping as a result of continued dry conditions. However, none of the farmers in the BETTER Farm programme have had to supplement cattle outdoors. The only cattle that are currently being supplemented are finishing stock.

Grass quality in the short term is more of a difficulty as stress on grass due to the drying has resulted in decreasing quality in some areas.

Non priority stock, such as weaned autumn-calvers, are being used to clean out these swards. Some fertiliser will be spread on dry ground where rain is forecast.

Where conditions are dry, there is a reluctance to apply fertiliser.

In contrast, lower stocked farms and farms on heavy ground are slow to go with fertiliser at the moment as strong grass growth rates are continuing.

Where days ahead are above 14 and the average farm covers are over 1,000kg DM/ha, surplus paddocks are being removed as baled silage.

Where first-cut silage yields were good, farmers are tending remove second-cut as surplus paddocks rather than closing up specific areas of the farm.

This is helping to control grass quality, while ensuring that top-quality grass is being harvested.

Richard Williamson

Co Meath

Farming system Suckler to beef

Land type Dry to heavy

Growth rate (kg DM/ha) 19

Avg Farm Cover (kg DM/ha) 650

I started making silage from late May into early June as I had surplus grass and I made good-quality baled silage that I will feed to my weanlings and finishing stock. So far, I have made 110 bales. I cut my main crop of silage last Monday and picked it up the following Wednesday with two silage wagons. I cut it later than normal as it was closed later (late April) and I wanted extra yield for my suckler cows. I also took out surplus grass from my paddocks and ensiled it in the pit as it had gone too strong and stemmy for grazing. I will close up some of the first-cut silage ground for a second cut and make good-quality leafy baled silage after six weeks of regrowth. Grass growth has slowed down on the farm. I am not really experiencing a moisture deficit like other farms in the east. In early June, I dosed my calves with an Ivermectin-based pour-on and I dosed my steers and heifers with a white oral worm dose.

Patrick McCarthy

Clonakilty College

Farming system Suckler to beef

Land type Dry

Growth rate (kg DM/ha) 87

Avg Farm Cover (kg DM/ha) 1,075

Grass growth has improved from 66kg DM/ha to 87kg DM/ha this week. Our demand is 56kg DM/ha at the moment and we have a reasonably high farm cover of 1,075kg/ha. We will take out one paddock this week, which will bring down our farm cover back under 1,000kg/ha. We cut the first-cut silage on 25 June in good conditions. Two grazing paddocks of about 2,500kg/ha were ensiled with the pit silage. Two other grazing paddocks were closed for first-cut silage. However, these paddocks are now back in the grazing rotation, thus reducing our stocking from 4.86 LU/ha in May to 4.31 LU/ha (2,820kg/ha liveweight) at present. Twenty-nine silage bales have been taken off as surplus grass in two runs since early June. Grazing ground has been getting half a bag of CAN since early June. A small number of paddocks were topped as the cattle were not tending to graze them out properly.

Mark Maxwell

Co Westmeath

Farming system Suckler to beef

Land type Free-draining to heavy

Growth rate (kg DM/ha) 71

Avg Farm Cover (kg DM/ha) 779

I currently have 75% of my silage ground cut. I make all bales so I’m flexible as to when to take out ground as it comes fit. I have three bags of CAN spread for second-cut silage. No slurry has been applied yet on silage ground as we are not getting any rain to wash it in. I will apply it after the second cut. I began topping three weeks ago and have dry autumn calvers cleaning up ground in a leader-follower system. Grazing ground is getting 20 units of Sulpha CAN after each grazing. My growth last week was 71kg, with an average farm cover of 779kg/ha, at a stocking rate of 2.36 LU/ha. No meal is being fed to stock coming close to killing. I slaughtered culls and steers off-grass a month ago. I am beginning a dosing programme on yearlings and calves from now on. I have dosed spring-born dairy-bred calves this week for worms and have given them a mineral dose also. My spring-2014 yearlings were dosed for lungworm a week ago as they were coughing. The problem seems to be solved.

Chris McCarthy

Co Westmeath

Farming system Suckler to

weanling/store

Land type Dry

Growth rate (kg DM/ha) 62

Avg Farm Cover (kg DM/ha) 1,051

Almost three weeks ago I cut 20 acres as first-cut silage. I spread 2,000 gallons of slurry per acre on this ground after cutting and followed a week later with one bag of 24.25.10. This ground has now come back into my rotation. The cows are now back in one group since I removed the stock bulls. This has made management very easy at this time of year. Paddocks that were not grazed out as tight earlier in the year, I am now topping out after the cows. I am spreading 20 units after each grazing to maintain quality in the grass. Calves are now performing well at grass and are due to be dosed and weighed for the second time this year in the next fortnight. At the moment, I have cut two paddocks as surplus grass to be made as baled silage. This will ensure quality grass will be available to the calves and reduce my days ahead.