Worming: At the Thursday 1 October talk in Mid-Tipp Mart as part of a series of suckler beef events, DAFM vet Maresa Sheehan and local vet Eamon Ryan of Brittas Vets were both keen to point out the heightened risk of lungworm and roundworms now after the dry summer period, with eggs having waited in pasture until recent rainfall allowed them to hatch. Healthy, clean lungs on weanlings heading into a shed was a priority highlighted by Ryan, while he also pointed out that there were only three classes of wormers actively available to farmers, with resistance becoming a bigger and bigger issue.

“Use as much wormer as you need but as little as possible” was the advice given by Ryan, with the recommendation being to alternate between clear, white and yellow wormers and dose according to faecal egg counts and clinical signs.

Ryan was also keen to point out that the turnaround between animals being healthy and succumbing to lungworm was rapid, and equally rapid action was to be taken, with the best advice to be sought from your own vet on this.

Grass: Growth is still above average for the time of year, but more and more farmers are reporting that cattle are getting through the soft, lush covers at a rapid rate. Growth is set to decrease over the next week, with soil and air temperatures forecast to drop down.

The two main priorities for farmers are to get heavy covers grazed off but leave sufficient grass on farm for any late grazing of lighter stock or early spring grazing. Anything with a cover of 1,800kg DM/ha or greater needs to be earmarked for grazing while ground conditions are still good and farmers still have good grazing power with heavier, older cattle still at grass.

Leaving these heavy swards to sit over the winter will lead to rotting at the base, leaving the sward more open and prone to weed encroachment, as well as being a low value feed that is difficult to graze out next spring.

For those that are finding themselves running through covers too fast, strategic supplementation with dry silage, hay or straw will help to slow down the rotation as well as adding some much-needed fibre to the diet of animals. Strategic housing of some older stock to allow weanlings or autumn calving cows to remain out longer may also be required.

Mart events: We are slowly coming to the end of our autumn mart events in conjunction with Teagasc, Dovea Genetics and Progressive Genetics, with two more events happening this week.

Tuam Mart in Co Galway and Ballybay Mart in Co Monaghan will both host events at 7pm on Thursday 8 October. Topics that will be covered at the event include a market update on the live cattle trade, key advice surrounding beef suckler schemes, nutrition of weanlings heading into the winter as well as key advice on treatment of parasites pre and post housing. Both events will include a live cattle demonstration from both AI companies.