I used zero-grazing to good effect last spring to keep grass in the cows’ diet when I had to house them during wet weather. I had planned to use it again during August and September when grass growth inevitably slows on the milking platform.

Of course the grass kept growing this year. By the time I needed it I felt the field had gone too strong and would take ages to work through it. I considered bales but didn’t fancy the hassle of drawing them nearly five miles home.

Late baled grass

Besides, late baled grass on its own is neither stemmy enough for dry cow feeding, or lush enough for a milking buffer. My contractor had another client and so justified putting a crew together. It was mowed and ensiled the second week of October.

I remember reading somewhere that mowing after August restricts growth the following year. I think the study was mostly related to topping but a third cut can’t be great either. It was still my best option as the young stock already had enough grazing.

I did a back of an envelope calculation that a load of grass silage was roughly 1.5 times the cost of a load of zero-grazed grass, but with twice the weight. This was purely due to the bulky crop. In lower covers the zero-grazer would win. The fact I already had a pit open, the faster clearing of the field, and the flexibility of feeding when it suited me rather than timing loads of fresh grass, also swung the decision.

Barley straw

Making do with what I have is the story with barley straw too. My regular haulier brought in five bales as part of a load of wheaten straw and found most of a load between three farms. I got a few more from a local contact so my 60 bales came from five different growers. In this area of the country I have only rarely seen a full lorry or trailer, as hauliers try to divide the reduced harvest between all their customers.

I normally buy 80 bales and feed maybe a third of it to calves. Looking at the quality, it is dry but weather-beaten. I wouldn’t use the term appetising, so I will be giving some of the milking cows’ TMR to the calves along with their calf nuts. After this year’s disastrous harvest I just hope there are enough guys brave enough to grow barley again. Or maybe foolish enough.