This year has been an exceptional year for grass growth. For some, this growth is providing a real opportunity to take out a paddock for reseeding. Some farms in the northern half of the country are a little dry at the moment and growth is suffering.

Timing of reseeding is very important and it is essential you get spraying glyphosate in July or early August so that you can complete the reseeding work in August and get grass growing in September at the latest. Of course we’ve all heard of October grass seed success, but ideally you need to get grass growing in September.

With many dairy farmers considering an increase in stocking rate post 2015, this year provides a real opportunity to take out a paddock or two that is not performing. The paddocks to reseed are those not growing the grass. If you are not measuring regularly, then try and identify the paddocks where you don’t get many grazings per year. Otherwise, where you see significant milk drop or poor thrive when you let stock in. Reseeding will fix the variety problem, but at the same time take the first steps in fixing a soil fertility problem.

Feed options

With grain prices low this year, is there an opportunity to perhaps leave a pit of silage in the clamp? If producing milk during the winter or feeding finishing cattle on grain-based diets, is there an opportunity to buy grain from a local farmer and store it on farm?

At €40 per tonne on top of buying price, home-produced grain can be of better quality and better value than some imported feeds at current prices. Maybe grazing second-cut silage rather than harvesting and ensiling it is a better option than harvesting, increasing stocking rate and then having to buy feed to allow grass covers build up again.