The relatively dry weather over the past few weeks has allowed farmers to continue on target with their autumn rotation planner. Farmers in the southwest of the country have the highest farm covers.Those who struggled to build covers in the west and northwest have the majority of cattle housed due to softening underfoot conditions and low grass supply.
Most farmers have 65-75% of the farm closed at this stage. In most cases, heavy cows and finishing cattle are now housed. Where stock will remain at grass in the coming week or two, these will generally be weanlings and in-calf heifers.
The majority of stock will most likely be housed over the coming weekend, with more unsettled weather approaching. Where housing will take place, the farmers are targeting to house on a dry day. Where weanlings are being housed, with mild weather, they are being housed in smaller groups with a watchful eye for early signs of pneumonia.
Breeding is ongoing in autumn herds. Where breeding is taking place outdoors, stock bulls are mostly being used. Where autumn-calved cows are housed and breeding is continuing, then farmers are switching over to AI.
Heat detection aids are being used indoors to help to identify cows in heat. In some cases, vasectomised bulls or bullocks are being used to help farmers detect cows in heat. Silage analysis is being used to devise winter supplementation plans for various cattle types on the farms.
Housing continuing across the farms. Cows and finishing cattle housed on most farms. Some heifers being finished off grass in the coming week. Housing being carried out on dry days. Farmers with autumn herds switching to AI for housed cows.Richard Jennings
Co Mayo
Farming system Suckler to weanling
Land type Dry to heavy
Growth rate (kgDM/ha) --
Average farm cover (kgDM/ha) 590
I started housing cows in the past week. Ewes and replacement heifer weanlings will continue to graze out paddocks for the next few weeks. Heifers are performing well at the moment and are receiving 1kg/head/day prior to sale. Cows are in good condition at housing prior to calving. They will be fed baled silage up until calving and have received mineral boluses. I will feed them pit silage post-calving.
My pit silage results were very good this year at 75 DMD. This will help reduce the amount of concentrates fed post-calving.
So far, all of the ewes are served. I am monitoring for repeats at the moment. Ewes will be housed around Christmas time to ensure I have grass for ewes lambing next spring. It’s important to graze paddocks out and leave land in good condition. They will be fed baled silage. It was well wilted after cutting and will help keep the bed dry in comparison to feeding them pit silage. Paddocks I closed earlier near to the shed have a good cover at the moment. I will let the young calves out to these paddocks next spring.
Ger Dineen
Co Cork
Farming system Suckler to beef
Land type Dry
Growth rate (kgDM/ha) 44
Average farm cover (kgDM/ha) 938
I am currently weaning my calves. My bulls are averaging 435kg off the cow while the heifers are averaging 380kg. I have noticed a big variation in weight gain between sires used again, with some bulls coming close to 500kg having received no meal up to weaning. They will have 2-3kg of ration introduced for a few weeks post-weaning to help them settle. After this, the heifer weanlings will be turned back to grass on no meal while bulls will stay on meal. I will house bulls once weather breaks and feed 4-5kg of ration plus good-quality baled silage. They will be moved towards heavier levels of meal feeding after Christmas.
Cows will remain housed for a few days on straw to dry off and will return to grass to clean out paddocks after calves. I have 70% of ground closed up now as I am aiming for very early turnout next spring. I have five heifers and six cull cows ready to kill this week. They have received very little meal and have had a long grazing season, thus reducing the costs. I am expecting a 360kg carcase on the heifers.
Michael Smith
Co Cavan
Farming system Suckler to weanling
Land type Heavy
Growth rate (kgDM/ha) --
Average farm cover (kgDM/ha) --
With land now very soft after the heavy rain last week, I should have most of my cattle housed by early next week. I started closing up paddocks on 12 October and with the mild weather there are nice covers coming on paddocks for next spring. I have about 70% of the farm closed to date. I spread pig slurry and farmyard manure on some paddocks at closing in mid-October, so that should help soil fertility and winter growth. I started to house my spring-calving cows and their weaned calves in batches earlier this week and I will have them all housed by the weekend. Breeding in the autumn calving herd started on 15 October and to date I have two-thirds of the cows and replacement heifers served.
I started using AI maternal Simmental and Charolais sires on the mature cows and easy-calving Limousin on the heifers. The Charolais stock bull is running with the cows over the last 12 days and he has five cows bulled. Depending on the weather, I will probably house the autumn herd this weekend and I will revert back to using AI.
Matthew Murphy
Newford herd, Athenry
Farming system Suckler to weanling
Land type Heavy
Growth rate (kgDm/ha) 27
Average farm cover (kgDm/ha) 735
We currently have 80% of our grazing area closed, with all cows being housed in Newford last week. We started closing paddocks on 5 October. The aim is to keep weanlings outdoors for another two weeks. Weaning took place gradually over a few weeks and finished last week. Weanlings are currently getting 1.5kg/head/day of concentrates. They have also received their pneumonia vaccinations. Once indoors, they will be fed our best-quality silage which is surplus round bales. Our silage analysed well: first cut came back at 72DMD, second cut at 68DMD and our surplus round bales taken off paddocks at 78DMD. Our growth rate for last week was 27kg/DM/day and our demand is 33kg/DM/day. Farm cover is 735kg/DM/ha. We weighed all calves on Monday and our bull calves weighed 326kg (range 211kg-418kg) and had an average daily gain since birth of 1.25kg/day. The average weight of heifer calves was 315kg (range 267-372kg) and they gained 1.19kg/day since birth.
Finishing cattle are being fed 6kg/head/day concentrates indoors on ad-lib silage.
Read more
Grass+ dairy: Exceptional growth rates continue
The relatively dry weather over the past few weeks has allowed farmers to continue on target with their autumn rotation planner. Farmers in the southwest of the country have the highest farm covers.Those who struggled to build covers in the west and northwest have the majority of cattle housed due to softening underfoot conditions and low grass supply.
Most farmers have 65-75% of the farm closed at this stage. In most cases, heavy cows and finishing cattle are now housed. Where stock will remain at grass in the coming week or two, these will generally be weanlings and in-calf heifers.
The majority of stock will most likely be housed over the coming weekend, with more unsettled weather approaching. Where housing will take place, the farmers are targeting to house on a dry day. Where weanlings are being housed, with mild weather, they are being housed in smaller groups with a watchful eye for early signs of pneumonia.
Breeding is ongoing in autumn herds. Where breeding is taking place outdoors, stock bulls are mostly being used. Where autumn-calved cows are housed and breeding is continuing, then farmers are switching over to AI.
Heat detection aids are being used indoors to help to identify cows in heat. In some cases, vasectomised bulls or bullocks are being used to help farmers detect cows in heat. Silage analysis is being used to devise winter supplementation plans for various cattle types on the farms.
Housing continuing across the farms. Cows and finishing cattle housed on most farms. Some heifers being finished off grass in the coming week. Housing being carried out on dry days. Farmers with autumn herds switching to AI for housed cows.Richard Jennings
Co Mayo
Farming system Suckler to weanling
Land type Dry to heavy
Growth rate (kgDM/ha) --
Average farm cover (kgDM/ha) 590
I started housing cows in the past week. Ewes and replacement heifer weanlings will continue to graze out paddocks for the next few weeks. Heifers are performing well at the moment and are receiving 1kg/head/day prior to sale. Cows are in good condition at housing prior to calving. They will be fed baled silage up until calving and have received mineral boluses. I will feed them pit silage post-calving.
My pit silage results were very good this year at 75 DMD. This will help reduce the amount of concentrates fed post-calving.
So far, all of the ewes are served. I am monitoring for repeats at the moment. Ewes will be housed around Christmas time to ensure I have grass for ewes lambing next spring. It’s important to graze paddocks out and leave land in good condition. They will be fed baled silage. It was well wilted after cutting and will help keep the bed dry in comparison to feeding them pit silage. Paddocks I closed earlier near to the shed have a good cover at the moment. I will let the young calves out to these paddocks next spring.
Ger Dineen
Co Cork
Farming system Suckler to beef
Land type Dry
Growth rate (kgDM/ha) 44
Average farm cover (kgDM/ha) 938
I am currently weaning my calves. My bulls are averaging 435kg off the cow while the heifers are averaging 380kg. I have noticed a big variation in weight gain between sires used again, with some bulls coming close to 500kg having received no meal up to weaning. They will have 2-3kg of ration introduced for a few weeks post-weaning to help them settle. After this, the heifer weanlings will be turned back to grass on no meal while bulls will stay on meal. I will house bulls once weather breaks and feed 4-5kg of ration plus good-quality baled silage. They will be moved towards heavier levels of meal feeding after Christmas.
Cows will remain housed for a few days on straw to dry off and will return to grass to clean out paddocks after calves. I have 70% of ground closed up now as I am aiming for very early turnout next spring. I have five heifers and six cull cows ready to kill this week. They have received very little meal and have had a long grazing season, thus reducing the costs. I am expecting a 360kg carcase on the heifers.
Michael Smith
Co Cavan
Farming system Suckler to weanling
Land type Heavy
Growth rate (kgDM/ha) --
Average farm cover (kgDM/ha) --
With land now very soft after the heavy rain last week, I should have most of my cattle housed by early next week. I started closing up paddocks on 12 October and with the mild weather there are nice covers coming on paddocks for next spring. I have about 70% of the farm closed to date. I spread pig slurry and farmyard manure on some paddocks at closing in mid-October, so that should help soil fertility and winter growth. I started to house my spring-calving cows and their weaned calves in batches earlier this week and I will have them all housed by the weekend. Breeding in the autumn calving herd started on 15 October and to date I have two-thirds of the cows and replacement heifers served.
I started using AI maternal Simmental and Charolais sires on the mature cows and easy-calving Limousin on the heifers. The Charolais stock bull is running with the cows over the last 12 days and he has five cows bulled. Depending on the weather, I will probably house the autumn herd this weekend and I will revert back to using AI.
Matthew Murphy
Newford herd, Athenry
Farming system Suckler to weanling
Land type Heavy
Growth rate (kgDm/ha) 27
Average farm cover (kgDm/ha) 735
We currently have 80% of our grazing area closed, with all cows being housed in Newford last week. We started closing paddocks on 5 October. The aim is to keep weanlings outdoors for another two weeks. Weaning took place gradually over a few weeks and finished last week. Weanlings are currently getting 1.5kg/head/day of concentrates. They have also received their pneumonia vaccinations. Once indoors, they will be fed our best-quality silage which is surplus round bales. Our silage analysed well: first cut came back at 72DMD, second cut at 68DMD and our surplus round bales taken off paddocks at 78DMD. Our growth rate for last week was 27kg/DM/day and our demand is 33kg/DM/day. Farm cover is 735kg/DM/ha. We weighed all calves on Monday and our bull calves weighed 326kg (range 211kg-418kg) and had an average daily gain since birth of 1.25kg/day. The average weight of heifer calves was 315kg (range 267-372kg) and they gained 1.19kg/day since birth.
Finishing cattle are being fed 6kg/head/day concentrates indoors on ad-lib silage.
Read more
Grass+ dairy: Exceptional growth rates continue
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