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The average grass growth this week is 70kg/day. Some farms are really struggling for grass, particularly in Cork where the dry spell is biting hard on free-draining land.
However, thunderstorms on Tuesday night and widespread rain on Wednesday and a lot more rain in the weather forecast means that any soil moisture deficits should be short-lived.
With soil temperatures nearing 20°C and with moisture in the soil all the conditions are right for a burst in growth, particularly on farms that were dry.
There tends to be a compensatory growth effect after a dry spell.
However, I wouldn’t expect a spike in growth on farms that were growing well up to now, but I would expect this good growth to continue.
A lot depends on fertiliser. Many farms have never grown as much grass as they are this year as a result of the really favourable weather.
While this is great to see, growth doesn’t come from nothing and extra soil nutrients will have been used up. I would be a small bit concerned that some farms will run out of steam heading into the autumn when they should be building up covers.
That is not to say that more fertiliser should be spread now, but it does mean that offtakes need to be replaced, particularly if the extra grass is being turned into silage as this really depletes nutrients.
On farms that are growing lots of grass now, I would consider holding back on some nitrogen now, with the objective of spreading more than normal in a months’ time, thereby levelling the grass growth curve and helping to build up grass covers into September.
Spreading 15 to 20 units/acre of nitrogen after grazing should probably be sufficient now for most farms.
Some farmers will blank spread fertiliser from now until the end of the year.
This is a good policy as it means the whole farm gets covered.
It often happens that when spreading after grazing, slow growing paddocks get spread less frequently, compounding the issue.
Teagasc Curtins, Co Cork
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.18
Growth rate (kg/day) 34
Average farm cover (kg/cow) 138
Yield (l/cow/day) 18.6
Fat % 4.83
Protein %3.75
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.64
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 4
We were crying out for rain right up to Tuesday night, but then we got 7mm over the night and things greened up straight away.
Cover per cow went low so we had to increase supplement. I was worried about going too low so we increased meal feeding to 4kg/cow/day since last Friday.
So far we have kept it in and will do another grass walk on Friday and review it then. We didn’t have to feed silage but we did pre-mow a heavy paddock that was planned for silage. It worked well and didn’t seem to affect production.
Teagasc Ballyhaise
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4.14
Growth rate (kg/day) 101
Average farm cover (kg/cow)152
Yield (l/cow/day) 19.2
Fat % 4.35
Protein %3.67
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.59
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day)1
Growth is absolutely flying it here, growing over 100kg/day, and the damp muggy weather of the past few days is only helping.
We skipped over more paddocks again this week, cutting some of them for the second time. We have set average farm cover per cow at 152kg, as this is where we want it.
Total growth to date is 8.3t/ha up to 1 July. At this stage we have around 77% of our winter feed requirements met, before second cut is taken. SCC is holding steady at 100,000.
Tuam, Co Galway
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.5
Growth rate (kg/day) 76
Average farm cover (kg/cow)185
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.75
Fat % 3.82
Protein %3.48
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.64
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day)1.5
Grass has been flying it here all summer and the weather is really helping. We got a good bit of rain Tuesday and Wednesday so this should keep grass growing well for another while. I’m grazing covers of around 1,600kg.
I only skipped over two paddocks so far this year as the overall stocking rate is quite high. Every paddock was topped once.
I’m currently following the cows with one bag/acre of 18:6:12, having went all summer with one bag/acre of 27:2.5:10. The farm is low in P and K so we’re building this up by spreading compounds.
Schull, Co. Cork
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.57
Growth rate (kg/day) 74
Average farm cover (kg/cow)158
Yield (l/cow/day) 20.5
Fat % 4.08
Protein %3.71
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.64
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 2
It’s been a great year. If anything it’s been a struggle to keep on top of grass. We got a good bit of rain Tuesday night and it’s been drizzly since.
I cut 18 acres for bales earlier in the week as the farm was growing more than the cows could eat. Pre-grazing yield is around 1,350kg/ha, but it was up around 1,600kg for a good while.
I’m spreading one bag/acre of 24:2.5:10 plus sulphur after every grazing. I’m keeping the bulls in for another two weeks as I’m trying to build up stock numbers.
Calves are on the milking platform but off meal.
Grass+ beef: return of rain and second cut ground
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