Average grass growth over the past week was 8kg per day. While the weather was cold, grazing conditions have been pretty good for most of the past week. Soil temperatures did drop to around 5°C, but the forecast for the next week is for a return to higher temperatures and milder weather, albeit with some scattered showers. Overall though, grazing conditions and grass growth should be reasonably OK for the coming week.
The average farm covers on our Grass+ farms are all well in excess of 850kg/ha, which is on target for the time of year. The key target now is to get enough ground grazed off and back growing. Move into lower and lighter covers to get the area grazed up. The target is to graze 30% in February. Often, grass needs to be grazed off for it to wake up and get growing again. The paddocks grazed in February will be the first paddocks to be grazed in the second round.
If ground conditions are good on your farm, maybe consider getting some of the traditionally wetter fields grazed off now. There’s no guarantee that ground conditions will be any better in March. It’s time enough to go with the second round of nitrogen in another few weeks. What was spread in late January is still working away.
The advice is to go with a full bag of urea per acre in early March, although many farmers are now going with two bags per acre of 18:6:12 for the next round and spreading urea again in late March. Those with no fertiliser spread yet should spread a full bag/acre of urea now.
Cow dry matter intakes are increasing week on week. For herds that started calving three weeks ago, total intakes are probably around 10kg per cow per day, but this is not an exact science. You must monitor residuals daily to see if allocations are right.
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The forecast for the next five days is relatively good for grazing.Get 30% of the farm grazed in February.If no nitrogen has been spread to date, go with 46 units of urea now. Hold off on the next round of fertiliser until March.
Teagasc Curtins Farm
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 5
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 951
Yield (l/cow/day) 22.8
Fat % 4.69
Protein % 3.69
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.96
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
We’re allocating 9kg of grass and cows are getting 3kg of nuts in the parlour. Conditions are reasonably good and cows are out grazing day and night, although I did bring them in on Monday night. Any damage being done is small enough. We’re not feeding any silage at the moment. We are allocating grass in 12-hour breaks and we have 8% of the farm grazed. Calving is going well, with 43% calved and I plan to sell the first bull calves next week. No real health issues to report other than one case of milk fever last week.
Killashee, Longford
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 20
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 1,038
Yield (l/cow/day) 21
Fat % 4.6
Protein % 3.5
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.75
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 4kg
Cows are out by day but are in by night. We’re following the spring rotation planner here and because the stocking rate is high we can graze what we need to in the day. Farm cover is high and we are currently alternating between high covers of 2,200kg and lower covers of 1,300kg. Almost 10% of the farm is grazed and about 50% of the herd is calved. Cows are on a mix of grass and maize silage by night but we will be reducing the amount of grass silage in the diet as the proportion of grass being fed increases.
Teagasc Ballyhaise
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 5
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 932
Yield (l/cow/day) -
Fat % -
Protein % -
Milk solids (kg/cow) -
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
Cows are grazing after morning and evening milking but we are bringing them back into the shed after lunch and again at 8pm. We were feeding silage in the shed for the first few days but we are not any more. Ground conditions are as good as we could hope for. About 30% of the herd is calved, with no issues to report. Urea has been spread on 80% of the farm and a further 10% got slurry. The remainder won’t be touched until March as it is too wet. We are only sending the first tank of milk to the co-op this week.
Greenfield Farm
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3
Growth rate (kg/day) 25
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 1,012
Yield (l/cow/day) -
Fat % 5.76
Protein % 3.92
Milk solids (kg/cow) -
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
Grazing conditions are just about OK. We had a couple of millimetres of rain every day for a few days at the start of the week and it was enough to make ground soft. Some damage was done despite grazing the driest part of the farm. Cows are staying out day and night but we will move them on to a fresh section a few times a day if needs be. We are only milking once a day for February to reduce the workload. We have 52% calved and 11% of the farm grazed. Cows are getting 3kg of meal and no silage is being fed.
Read more
Grass+ beef: no excuse for no activity this week
Average grass growth over the past week was 8kg per day. While the weather was cold, grazing conditions have been pretty good for most of the past week. Soil temperatures did drop to around 5°C, but the forecast for the next week is for a return to higher temperatures and milder weather, albeit with some scattered showers. Overall though, grazing conditions and grass growth should be reasonably OK for the coming week.
The average farm covers on our Grass+ farms are all well in excess of 850kg/ha, which is on target for the time of year. The key target now is to get enough ground grazed off and back growing. Move into lower and lighter covers to get the area grazed up. The target is to graze 30% in February. Often, grass needs to be grazed off for it to wake up and get growing again. The paddocks grazed in February will be the first paddocks to be grazed in the second round.
If ground conditions are good on your farm, maybe consider getting some of the traditionally wetter fields grazed off now. There’s no guarantee that ground conditions will be any better in March. It’s time enough to go with the second round of nitrogen in another few weeks. What was spread in late January is still working away.
The advice is to go with a full bag of urea per acre in early March, although many farmers are now going with two bags per acre of 18:6:12 for the next round and spreading urea again in late March. Those with no fertiliser spread yet should spread a full bag/acre of urea now.
Cow dry matter intakes are increasing week on week. For herds that started calving three weeks ago, total intakes are probably around 10kg per cow per day, but this is not an exact science. You must monitor residuals daily to see if allocations are right.
![]()
The forecast for the next five days is relatively good for grazing.Get 30% of the farm grazed in February.If no nitrogen has been spread to date, go with 46 units of urea now. Hold off on the next round of fertiliser until March.
Teagasc Curtins Farm
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 5
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 951
Yield (l/cow/day) 22.8
Fat % 4.69
Protein % 3.69
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.96
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
We’re allocating 9kg of grass and cows are getting 3kg of nuts in the parlour. Conditions are reasonably good and cows are out grazing day and night, although I did bring them in on Monday night. Any damage being done is small enough. We’re not feeding any silage at the moment. We are allocating grass in 12-hour breaks and we have 8% of the farm grazed. Calving is going well, with 43% calved and I plan to sell the first bull calves next week. No real health issues to report other than one case of milk fever last week.
Killashee, Longford
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 20
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 1,038
Yield (l/cow/day) 21
Fat % 4.6
Protein % 3.5
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.75
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 4kg
Cows are out by day but are in by night. We’re following the spring rotation planner here and because the stocking rate is high we can graze what we need to in the day. Farm cover is high and we are currently alternating between high covers of 2,200kg and lower covers of 1,300kg. Almost 10% of the farm is grazed and about 50% of the herd is calved. Cows are on a mix of grass and maize silage by night but we will be reducing the amount of grass silage in the diet as the proportion of grass being fed increases.
Teagasc Ballyhaise
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 5
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 932
Yield (l/cow/day) -
Fat % -
Protein % -
Milk solids (kg/cow) -
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
Cows are grazing after morning and evening milking but we are bringing them back into the shed after lunch and again at 8pm. We were feeding silage in the shed for the first few days but we are not any more. Ground conditions are as good as we could hope for. About 30% of the herd is calved, with no issues to report. Urea has been spread on 80% of the farm and a further 10% got slurry. The remainder won’t be touched until March as it is too wet. We are only sending the first tank of milk to the co-op this week.
Greenfield Farm
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3
Growth rate (kg/day) 25
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 1,012
Yield (l/cow/day) -
Fat % 5.76
Protein % 3.92
Milk solids (kg/cow) -
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
Grazing conditions are just about OK. We had a couple of millimetres of rain every day for a few days at the start of the week and it was enough to make ground soft. Some damage was done despite grazing the driest part of the farm. Cows are staying out day and night but we will move them on to a fresh section a few times a day if needs be. We are only milking once a day for February to reduce the workload. We have 52% calved and 11% of the farm grazed. Cows are getting 3kg of meal and no silage is being fed.
Read more
Grass+ beef: no excuse for no activity this week
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