In a typical year 25% of milk production and around 30% of total gain at grass is produced during April and May. As Aidan Brennan reports, now is a critical period to get the management of your swards right in order to achieve maximum output during this high-performance period.

Walking the farm regularly over the coming weeks is key. While in an ideal world all farmers would measure grass growth and use this data to make their decisions, it is not all about quadrats or plate meters. Simply walking the farm and getting a handle on the amount of grass available and the likely time taken to complete a full rotation will serve as a good guide.

A useful tip is to stand in the field the animals are grazing and work out how long it will be before they are back in this field based on the plan and rotation. If it is between 20-25 days, you are on target. If it is higher, consider increasing demand by taking paddocks out – either for silage or reseeding. Alternatively, if it is going to be less than 20 days, you can reduce demand or boost grass growth with additional nitrogen. There is no prescriptive advice on how to manage grass over the next six weeks as the weather will determine what is required. Through our Grass+ pages and farmersjournal.ie, we will provide regular updates on what steps to take to make sure you meet targets.