The average growth rate on Grass+ farms this week is 70kg per day, which is 6kg per day ahead of the 10-year average. Weather-wise, last week was a mixed bag, with Cork and Kerry getting over an inch of rain on Monday, while the west coast got very heavy rain before the weekend. In contrast, parts of Carlow and Kildare are in a soil moisture deficit with growth rates beginning to lag behind on many farms.
Attention this week is turning to building up covers for autumn. This week is really the starting point of when we should be extending rotation length and allowing farm cover to increase. We could talk all day about what your average farm cover should be, but unless you have an autumn grass budget for your own farm you are shooting in the dark.
Creating a budget is relatively simple. The starting point should be what cover you need to open at next spring. For most farmers this is between 900 and 1,000kg DM/ha on 1 February. If average growth rate over the 80 days of winter is 3kg/day then you need to close up your farm at an average farm cover of around 700kg in mid-November.
Calculate your weekly demand for grass (stocking rate x grass allowance x seven) and deduct this from weekly grass growth (projected daily growth x seven). Manipulate your demand for grass by altering stocking rate through selling culls early, drying off cows and using supplement to get to your required cover at closing.
Some farmers on heavier soils won’t target to go as high with average farm cover as the pre-grazing yields get too high and are too hard to manage on heavy soils.
Average growth rate is 70kg per day this week.Now is the time to start building up grass covers.Do up an autumn budget for your own farm.Closing cover should be in the region of 600 to 700kg/ha.Shane Leane
Teagasc Curtins Farm
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.3
Growth rate (kg/day) 71
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 839
Yield (l/cow/day) 18.5
Fat % 4.83
Protein % 3.69
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.62
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 0.2
After another week of good growth we decided to skip over three more paddocks but we won’t cut them until next week, after we know what growth rate is like this week. They have a cover of around 1,500 in them so they could be grazed next week if needs be. We are starting to build covers with cover per cow at 254kg now.
Protein has finally taken a lift to 3.69% – at least it’s heading in the right direction. We sprayed 30% of the farm this week for weeds with Forefront but used Clovex on some of the paddocks with clover.
Philip Donohue
Goresbridge, Co Carlow
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.72
Growth rate (kg/day) 30
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 435
Yield (l/cow/day) 18.5
Fat % 4.57
Protein % 3.77
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.58
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3s2m
Growth rate was much lower than expected this week as a soil moisture deficit is beginning to bite. We seem to be missing all the rain. My budget says I should be at 190kg per cow but I’m only at 160kg so I’m going to put in some feed for the next 10 days and hopefully get back on track faster than waiting for cover to rise.
I’m going to put in 3kg of bale silage and 2kg of meal per cow. The target is to be at 450kg/cow by end of September. I spread 35 units/acre nitrogen last week.
Oisin Gill
Hollymount, Co Mayo
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.48
Growth rate (kg/day) 85
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 746
Yield (l/cow/day) 23
Fat % 3.9
Protein % 3.1
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.65
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 1
The farm grew very well last week so we closed up a couple of paddocks for silage. The weather has been very mixed here so finding a break in the weather to get these cut is a challenge. I’m anxious to cut them as soon as possible and then to start building up covers for the autumn. I’m following the cows with one bag/acre of CAN. Protein is very disappointing but it’s something I’m working on. I used all Jersey bulls this year and I will probably buy in Jersey cross cows for next spring to improve the genetic potential of the herd.
Fergal Coughlan
Teagasc Clonakilty
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.93
Growth rate (kg/day) 63
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 611
Yield (l/cow/day) 22.1
Fat % 4.41
Protein % 3.69
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.78
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 0
Grass is growing well at the moment and we have closed another paddock for bale silage which will be cut next week. We will make a call then whether we need to cut more.
We haven’t had any cases of bloat yet this year, and have only used five gallons of bloat oil in total. We are strip-grazing the paddocks with more than 50% clover and it is working very well. We scanned the cows after we took out the bulls and there is a massive 96% in calf in the first nine weeks which I’m delighted with.
Read more
Read this week's Grass + beef here
The average growth rate on Grass+ farms this week is 70kg per day, which is 6kg per day ahead of the 10-year average. Weather-wise, last week was a mixed bag, with Cork and Kerry getting over an inch of rain on Monday, while the west coast got very heavy rain before the weekend. In contrast, parts of Carlow and Kildare are in a soil moisture deficit with growth rates beginning to lag behind on many farms.
Attention this week is turning to building up covers for autumn. This week is really the starting point of when we should be extending rotation length and allowing farm cover to increase. We could talk all day about what your average farm cover should be, but unless you have an autumn grass budget for your own farm you are shooting in the dark.
Creating a budget is relatively simple. The starting point should be what cover you need to open at next spring. For most farmers this is between 900 and 1,000kg DM/ha on 1 February. If average growth rate over the 80 days of winter is 3kg/day then you need to close up your farm at an average farm cover of around 700kg in mid-November.
Calculate your weekly demand for grass (stocking rate x grass allowance x seven) and deduct this from weekly grass growth (projected daily growth x seven). Manipulate your demand for grass by altering stocking rate through selling culls early, drying off cows and using supplement to get to your required cover at closing.
Some farmers on heavier soils won’t target to go as high with average farm cover as the pre-grazing yields get too high and are too hard to manage on heavy soils.
Average growth rate is 70kg per day this week.Now is the time to start building up grass covers.Do up an autumn budget for your own farm.Closing cover should be in the region of 600 to 700kg/ha.Shane Leane
Teagasc Curtins Farm
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.3
Growth rate (kg/day) 71
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 839
Yield (l/cow/day) 18.5
Fat % 4.83
Protein % 3.69
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.62
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 0.2
After another week of good growth we decided to skip over three more paddocks but we won’t cut them until next week, after we know what growth rate is like this week. They have a cover of around 1,500 in them so they could be grazed next week if needs be. We are starting to build covers with cover per cow at 254kg now.
Protein has finally taken a lift to 3.69% – at least it’s heading in the right direction. We sprayed 30% of the farm this week for weeds with Forefront but used Clovex on some of the paddocks with clover.
Philip Donohue
Goresbridge, Co Carlow
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.72
Growth rate (kg/day) 30
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 435
Yield (l/cow/day) 18.5
Fat % 4.57
Protein % 3.77
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.58
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3s2m
Growth rate was much lower than expected this week as a soil moisture deficit is beginning to bite. We seem to be missing all the rain. My budget says I should be at 190kg per cow but I’m only at 160kg so I’m going to put in some feed for the next 10 days and hopefully get back on track faster than waiting for cover to rise.
I’m going to put in 3kg of bale silage and 2kg of meal per cow. The target is to be at 450kg/cow by end of September. I spread 35 units/acre nitrogen last week.
Oisin Gill
Hollymount, Co Mayo
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.48
Growth rate (kg/day) 85
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 746
Yield (l/cow/day) 23
Fat % 3.9
Protein % 3.1
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.65
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 1
The farm grew very well last week so we closed up a couple of paddocks for silage. The weather has been very mixed here so finding a break in the weather to get these cut is a challenge. I’m anxious to cut them as soon as possible and then to start building up covers for the autumn. I’m following the cows with one bag/acre of CAN. Protein is very disappointing but it’s something I’m working on. I used all Jersey bulls this year and I will probably buy in Jersey cross cows for next spring to improve the genetic potential of the herd.
Fergal Coughlan
Teagasc Clonakilty
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.93
Growth rate (kg/day) 63
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 611
Yield (l/cow/day) 22.1
Fat % 4.41
Protein % 3.69
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.78
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 0
Grass is growing well at the moment and we have closed another paddock for bale silage which will be cut next week. We will make a call then whether we need to cut more.
We haven’t had any cases of bloat yet this year, and have only used five gallons of bloat oil in total. We are strip-grazing the paddocks with more than 50% clover and it is working very well. We scanned the cows after we took out the bulls and there is a massive 96% in calf in the first nine weeks which I’m delighted with.
Read more
Read this week's Grass + beef here
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