Average growth rate this week was 17kg per day, which again is well up there for the time of the year. Since then we have had a number of very cold nights and the first frosts of the winter.
Growth rates are steadily declining and, despite the weather softening again, with rain you can’t expect much more than 10kg per day for the next two weeks.
Do your predictions with this figure in mind in terms of closing covers. I’m taking it your closing cover is what is on the farm on 1 December. Even if you are finished grazing in the next week or two, for me, your closing cover is what is on the farm on 1 December, so that you can compare properly with discussion group members and other farmers in other parts of the country.
The wet weather is forcing some to pull animals indoors and some farmers have started in earnest, with all youngstock in because they find they will damage more at this time of the year. At best, they are keeping the milkers out by day. Be very careful to protect the paddocks that were closed in early October for early February grazing.
Some farmers have decided to carry over a paddock or two with a cover of 1,400kg to 1,600kg. It would need to be on a dry paddock and it would need to be green leaf at this stage in order to have a value next spring.
They might not start freshly calved cows grazing in that paddock, but they will graze it by mid-February.
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Key points
Don’t let animals following milkers clean off green shoots.Aim for closing cover of 600 to 700kg by 1 December.At this stage there should be 700 to 800kg on paddocks grazed in early October.Bill Keane
Co Waterford
Our average farm cover is down to 501 Kg DM/ha. We have about two decent covers of grass left and then we will bring the cows in for silage and meal for another while. Growth rate for the last week came in about 14kg.
The cows are on 1kg of meal and 4kg of quality silage on grazed grass.
At the moment they are milking 14 litres at 4.27% and 5.01% fat (1.33kg MS) with a cell count of 91.
Shane Leane
Teagasc Curtins
We have about 10 to 14 days left of grazing and while we haven’t dried off any this week we have a few more to dry off next week.
Our yield at the moment is 13.5 litres at 4.42% protein and 5.52% fat (1.37kg MS) on 2kg of meal and 3kg of silage.
Our growth rate for the last week has been a very good 24kg per day. Conditions are good and we spread 1.5 tonnes of lime per acre on 30% of the farm in the last 10 days.
Our average cover is 766kg, which is on target to finish at 600kg for 1 December.
Peter Cagney
Co Limerick
We have five days’ grass left at most. The herd is finishing a paddock tomorrow and I’ll walk the farm tomorrow to make a final call. I’ve two paddocks left.
One has a cover of 1,600kg, which I’ll leave. Another has a cover of 2,000kg, which I’m also tempted to leave. It’s the sort of a paddock that will hold, as it was cut in early September. The early closed paddocks have a cover of 700kg to 800kg DM/ha.
This evening I’ll dry off the low-condition scores and low yielders. Cows are milking 11 litres at 5.29% fat and 4.17% protein (1.1kg MS) on 2.5kg of meal.
Donal Patton
Teagasc Ballyhaise
We did a cover this week and our farm cover came in at 575kg at a stocking rate of 2.28 LU/ha. This means our cover is down to 252kg per cow.
In the last week, we measured a growth rate of 11kg per day, which is back from what we have been getting in the last number of weeks with the cold nights.
We are playing with the weather, but when it rains up here we come under pressure – especially on the land down around the river.
Read more
Grass+ beef: winter closing is progressing well
Average growth rate this week was 17kg per day, which again is well up there for the time of the year. Since then we have had a number of very cold nights and the first frosts of the winter.
Growth rates are steadily declining and, despite the weather softening again, with rain you can’t expect much more than 10kg per day for the next two weeks.
Do your predictions with this figure in mind in terms of closing covers. I’m taking it your closing cover is what is on the farm on 1 December. Even if you are finished grazing in the next week or two, for me, your closing cover is what is on the farm on 1 December, so that you can compare properly with discussion group members and other farmers in other parts of the country.
The wet weather is forcing some to pull animals indoors and some farmers have started in earnest, with all youngstock in because they find they will damage more at this time of the year. At best, they are keeping the milkers out by day. Be very careful to protect the paddocks that were closed in early October for early February grazing.
Some farmers have decided to carry over a paddock or two with a cover of 1,400kg to 1,600kg. It would need to be on a dry paddock and it would need to be green leaf at this stage in order to have a value next spring.
They might not start freshly calved cows grazing in that paddock, but they will graze it by mid-February.
![]()
Key points
Don’t let animals following milkers clean off green shoots.Aim for closing cover of 600 to 700kg by 1 December.At this stage there should be 700 to 800kg on paddocks grazed in early October.Bill Keane
Co Waterford
Our average farm cover is down to 501 Kg DM/ha. We have about two decent covers of grass left and then we will bring the cows in for silage and meal for another while. Growth rate for the last week came in about 14kg.
The cows are on 1kg of meal and 4kg of quality silage on grazed grass.
At the moment they are milking 14 litres at 4.27% and 5.01% fat (1.33kg MS) with a cell count of 91.
Shane Leane
Teagasc Curtins
We have about 10 to 14 days left of grazing and while we haven’t dried off any this week we have a few more to dry off next week.
Our yield at the moment is 13.5 litres at 4.42% protein and 5.52% fat (1.37kg MS) on 2kg of meal and 3kg of silage.
Our growth rate for the last week has been a very good 24kg per day. Conditions are good and we spread 1.5 tonnes of lime per acre on 30% of the farm in the last 10 days.
Our average cover is 766kg, which is on target to finish at 600kg for 1 December.
Peter Cagney
Co Limerick
We have five days’ grass left at most. The herd is finishing a paddock tomorrow and I’ll walk the farm tomorrow to make a final call. I’ve two paddocks left.
One has a cover of 1,600kg, which I’ll leave. Another has a cover of 2,000kg, which I’m also tempted to leave. It’s the sort of a paddock that will hold, as it was cut in early September. The early closed paddocks have a cover of 700kg to 800kg DM/ha.
This evening I’ll dry off the low-condition scores and low yielders. Cows are milking 11 litres at 5.29% fat and 4.17% protein (1.1kg MS) on 2.5kg of meal.
Donal Patton
Teagasc Ballyhaise
We did a cover this week and our farm cover came in at 575kg at a stocking rate of 2.28 LU/ha. This means our cover is down to 252kg per cow.
In the last week, we measured a growth rate of 11kg per day, which is back from what we have been getting in the last number of weeks with the cold nights.
We are playing with the weather, but when it rains up here we come under pressure – especially on the land down around the river.
Read more
Grass+ beef: winter closing is progressing well
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