At nearly 600ft above sea level, Pomeroy is well known for being the highest-placed village in NI, so farming in the area will inevitably mean coping with some tough conditions.
Just outside Pomeroy, Joe Cush milks 70 mainly Holstein Friesian cows in a winter and spring-calving system. Despite the challenges posed by the local climate, cows were out at grass in February, and by 2 April he had achieved 27 grazings. Cows have been out full-time since 5 April.
Out of all the dairy farms involved in the GrassCheck programme, Joe receives the highest rainfall, so he must be flexible in how he rotates cows around his paddocks, targeting drier land when conditions are less favourable.
At a farm walk last week – organised by AgriSearch, AFBI and CAFRE – Joe outlined management across the 45-acre (20ha) grazing block. Grass is measured every week (something Joe has done for four years), with information uploaded to AgriNet. Any surplus is taken out as bales, with some pre-mowing done during the summer months. When there is a deficit, some silage is introduced to the diet.
Last year, Joe grew 11.7t dry matter per hectare (DM/ha) across the grazing block, and by 20 April this year had grown 1.2t. Average farm cover stood at 2,160kg DM/ha last week.
“I like to go in to a paddock at 2,800kg DM/ha. Any higher than that and it’s hard to graze down. I try to get it down tight,” he told visitors.
In recent years Joe Cush has looked to bring some different genetics into the herd, including Fleckvieh (cow on the right) and high-EBI animals (cow on the left). He believes the high-EBI cows are best suited to his system.
Soil analysis across the grazing block in 2018 showed that all soils were at or above target for phosphorus (P) and 64% were on target for potassium (K). Lime has been spread in recent years, leaving 90% of soils at or above the target pH of 6.0. Two-thirds of a bag per acre of urea was spread in February, and one bag per acre of 25.0.5 applied in April.
Reseeding
As well as helping to identify when the farm is moving into surplus or deficit in grass, the other main benefit from using AgriNet is that it helps identify the worst-performing paddocks on the farm.
Across 18 GrassCheck dairy farms in 2018, the average difference between the worst and best-performing paddock on each farm came to 7.2t DM/ha. Researchers at AFBI estimate that this equates to a loss of feed value of £974/ha.
Diploid grass varieties are preferred over tetraploids, as Joe is concerned that incorporating a high rate of tetraploid varieties could leave the sward more open and prone to poaching damage
The aim on the Cush farm is to take out those poor paddocks for reseeding each year. Both spring and autumn reseeding work has been done, although Joe favours a spring reseed. He said that he had taken five milkings off a spring reseed last year, whereas another field taken out in early August had only been partly grazed by the time of the farm walk last week.
Diploid grass varieties are preferred over tetraploids, as Joe is concerned that incorporating a high rate of tetraploid varieties could leave the sward more open and prone to poaching damage. The seed mix used last autumn included 9kg of AberGreen (diploid), 4kg of AberGain (tetraploid) and 1kg of Timothy.
Performance
The milking herd currently has a rolling average of 6,969l/cow, from 1.5t of concentrate. Milk from forage stands at 3,429l. Last week cows were giving 30l at 3.82% fat and 3.46% protein, and were being offered an average of 4kg of concentrate per cow, fed to yield in the parlour.
Older cows in the herd are mainly traditional Holstein Friesian, but concerns about longevity and fertility forced Joe to look at other options. He has some Fleckvieh cows in the herd. They are good for fertility and milk solids, but too heavy for the land type, he maintained.
Instead, in the last couple of years he has sourced high-EBI cows from Cork, and has used high-EBI semen to breed heifers.
I like cows calving in the winter and early spring. It suits this farm
“They are superb cows. Good fertility, good solids and well suited to this farm,” said Joe.
However, he pointed out that it does not mean that he will go exclusively spring-calving.
“I like cows calving in the winter and early spring. It suits this farm. I don’t want to have cows calving into March and April.”
Fertilise to maximise grass growth
The results from the GrassCheck dairy farms show that it is possible to grow around 12t DM/ha each year. But to do that requires a productive sward, soils in good condition and nutrients to be applied.
According to Dr Debbie McConnell from AFBI, research results, along with farm data, show that there is a cost-effective response to nitrogen (N) throughout the season, with each kg of N delivering 21kg of grass DM, which potentially is a return on investment of 3.6:1.
Debbie McConnell, dairy grassland researcher from AFBI, giving a talk during the GrassCheck farm walk held on the Cush farm in Pomeroy, Co Tyrone.
That response is often highest in spring, and with up to 20% of grass yield occurring in May, it is important to feed the plant if you want to maximise overall yields, said McConnell.
RB209 fertiliser recommendations for a 12t DM/ha sward are 50kg of N/ha in April and May, 40kg in June and 30kg in both July and August. A 50kg/ha requirement equates to approximately 1.5 bags of CAN/ac.
She also recommended that a P deficiency is corrected by applications in spring, and K by applications in autumn.
Lime
The spreading of fertiliser will also have an acidifying effect on soil. Each kg of N applied will require 2kg of lime to neutralise this effect, so if 250kg N/ha is used, then 0.5t/ha of lime is required.
Sulphur
One nutrient now receiving closer attention is sulphur (S). As atmospheric sources have declined, it’s led to a widespread deficiency across NI farms. Advice from AFBI is to spread 75kg/ha of S during the spring and summer period. While cattle slurry and farmyard manure can make up some of this shortfall, much of it must come from inorganic fertiliser. If we take a typical bag of CAN plus 7% S, over eight bags/ac would need to be spread throughout the season to meet total requirement.
Ryegrass
Also naturally reducing each year will be the perennial ryegrass content of swards. According to McConnell, it will drop 3-5% each year. While avoiding poaching and applying N will help keep ryegrass competitive, by year nine the annual feed value loss, compared with a new reseed, will be greater than the cost of reseeding the sward.
“The aim should be to reseed every seven/eight years,” recommended McConnell.
36-hour paddocks
Recent research at AFBI Hillsborough has looked at performance of first-calvers within a grazing herd across three different pasture allocations: fresh grass every 12 hours; every 24 hours; every 36 hours.
The work, led by PhD student Jessica Pollock, involved a group of 90 spring-calving cows (including 27 first-calvers), found that milk yield and fat plus protein were highest among first-calvers when on the 36-hour treatment, and lowest on the 12-hour treatment.
This is backed up by experience on the Cush farm.
“Giving fresh grass every 12 hours is too sore on the heifers. I give them fresh grass every 24/36 hours. If the cows are going into a paddock for a third time, I might hold back a corner of the field to give them some fresh grass,” said Joe.
Read more
Focusing on milk from forage in Limavady
Getting back to basics with dairying
At nearly 600ft above sea level, Pomeroy is well known for being the highest-placed village in NI, so farming in the area will inevitably mean coping with some tough conditions.
Just outside Pomeroy, Joe Cush milks 70 mainly Holstein Friesian cows in a winter and spring-calving system. Despite the challenges posed by the local climate, cows were out at grass in February, and by 2 April he had achieved 27 grazings. Cows have been out full-time since 5 April.
Out of all the dairy farms involved in the GrassCheck programme, Joe receives the highest rainfall, so he must be flexible in how he rotates cows around his paddocks, targeting drier land when conditions are less favourable.
At a farm walk last week – organised by AgriSearch, AFBI and CAFRE – Joe outlined management across the 45-acre (20ha) grazing block. Grass is measured every week (something Joe has done for four years), with information uploaded to AgriNet. Any surplus is taken out as bales, with some pre-mowing done during the summer months. When there is a deficit, some silage is introduced to the diet.
Last year, Joe grew 11.7t dry matter per hectare (DM/ha) across the grazing block, and by 20 April this year had grown 1.2t. Average farm cover stood at 2,160kg DM/ha last week.
“I like to go in to a paddock at 2,800kg DM/ha. Any higher than that and it’s hard to graze down. I try to get it down tight,” he told visitors.
In recent years Joe Cush has looked to bring some different genetics into the herd, including Fleckvieh (cow on the right) and high-EBI animals (cow on the left). He believes the high-EBI cows are best suited to his system.
Soil analysis across the grazing block in 2018 showed that all soils were at or above target for phosphorus (P) and 64% were on target for potassium (K). Lime has been spread in recent years, leaving 90% of soils at or above the target pH of 6.0. Two-thirds of a bag per acre of urea was spread in February, and one bag per acre of 25.0.5 applied in April.
Reseeding
As well as helping to identify when the farm is moving into surplus or deficit in grass, the other main benefit from using AgriNet is that it helps identify the worst-performing paddocks on the farm.
Across 18 GrassCheck dairy farms in 2018, the average difference between the worst and best-performing paddock on each farm came to 7.2t DM/ha. Researchers at AFBI estimate that this equates to a loss of feed value of £974/ha.
Diploid grass varieties are preferred over tetraploids, as Joe is concerned that incorporating a high rate of tetraploid varieties could leave the sward more open and prone to poaching damage
The aim on the Cush farm is to take out those poor paddocks for reseeding each year. Both spring and autumn reseeding work has been done, although Joe favours a spring reseed. He said that he had taken five milkings off a spring reseed last year, whereas another field taken out in early August had only been partly grazed by the time of the farm walk last week.
Diploid grass varieties are preferred over tetraploids, as Joe is concerned that incorporating a high rate of tetraploid varieties could leave the sward more open and prone to poaching damage. The seed mix used last autumn included 9kg of AberGreen (diploid), 4kg of AberGain (tetraploid) and 1kg of Timothy.
Performance
The milking herd currently has a rolling average of 6,969l/cow, from 1.5t of concentrate. Milk from forage stands at 3,429l. Last week cows were giving 30l at 3.82% fat and 3.46% protein, and were being offered an average of 4kg of concentrate per cow, fed to yield in the parlour.
Older cows in the herd are mainly traditional Holstein Friesian, but concerns about longevity and fertility forced Joe to look at other options. He has some Fleckvieh cows in the herd. They are good for fertility and milk solids, but too heavy for the land type, he maintained.
Instead, in the last couple of years he has sourced high-EBI cows from Cork, and has used high-EBI semen to breed heifers.
I like cows calving in the winter and early spring. It suits this farm
“They are superb cows. Good fertility, good solids and well suited to this farm,” said Joe.
However, he pointed out that it does not mean that he will go exclusively spring-calving.
“I like cows calving in the winter and early spring. It suits this farm. I don’t want to have cows calving into March and April.”
Fertilise to maximise grass growth
The results from the GrassCheck dairy farms show that it is possible to grow around 12t DM/ha each year. But to do that requires a productive sward, soils in good condition and nutrients to be applied.
According to Dr Debbie McConnell from AFBI, research results, along with farm data, show that there is a cost-effective response to nitrogen (N) throughout the season, with each kg of N delivering 21kg of grass DM, which potentially is a return on investment of 3.6:1.
Debbie McConnell, dairy grassland researcher from AFBI, giving a talk during the GrassCheck farm walk held on the Cush farm in Pomeroy, Co Tyrone.
That response is often highest in spring, and with up to 20% of grass yield occurring in May, it is important to feed the plant if you want to maximise overall yields, said McConnell.
RB209 fertiliser recommendations for a 12t DM/ha sward are 50kg of N/ha in April and May, 40kg in June and 30kg in both July and August. A 50kg/ha requirement equates to approximately 1.5 bags of CAN/ac.
She also recommended that a P deficiency is corrected by applications in spring, and K by applications in autumn.
Lime
The spreading of fertiliser will also have an acidifying effect on soil. Each kg of N applied will require 2kg of lime to neutralise this effect, so if 250kg N/ha is used, then 0.5t/ha of lime is required.
Sulphur
One nutrient now receiving closer attention is sulphur (S). As atmospheric sources have declined, it’s led to a widespread deficiency across NI farms. Advice from AFBI is to spread 75kg/ha of S during the spring and summer period. While cattle slurry and farmyard manure can make up some of this shortfall, much of it must come from inorganic fertiliser. If we take a typical bag of CAN plus 7% S, over eight bags/ac would need to be spread throughout the season to meet total requirement.
Ryegrass
Also naturally reducing each year will be the perennial ryegrass content of swards. According to McConnell, it will drop 3-5% each year. While avoiding poaching and applying N will help keep ryegrass competitive, by year nine the annual feed value loss, compared with a new reseed, will be greater than the cost of reseeding the sward.
“The aim should be to reseed every seven/eight years,” recommended McConnell.
36-hour paddocks
Recent research at AFBI Hillsborough has looked at performance of first-calvers within a grazing herd across three different pasture allocations: fresh grass every 12 hours; every 24 hours; every 36 hours.
The work, led by PhD student Jessica Pollock, involved a group of 90 spring-calving cows (including 27 first-calvers), found that milk yield and fat plus protein were highest among first-calvers when on the 36-hour treatment, and lowest on the 12-hour treatment.
This is backed up by experience on the Cush farm.
“Giving fresh grass every 12 hours is too sore on the heifers. I give them fresh grass every 24/36 hours. If the cows are going into a paddock for a third time, I might hold back a corner of the field to give them some fresh grass,” said Joe.
Read more
Focusing on milk from forage in Limavady
Getting back to basics with dairying
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