Clostridial disease

I have heard reports in the last week of animals being lost to Blackleg. The incidents occurred where animals were being asked to graze very tight on fields, which was probably increasing their exposure to the soil-borne organisms.

It’s important to have a control programme in place on your farm. If animals are coming into more contact with soil, then clostridial disease risk will be higher. Using combination products is a better option as you will get cover for more diseases for little extra expense. Examples of these products would be Tribovax 10 or Covexin 10. It’s important that animals get two shots as part of the vaccination programme. These need to be given four to six weeks apart. Animals will not have received full cover if the second shot is not given.

Spraying reseeds

With many summer reseeds struggling around the country, there are queries around whether these reseeds should be sprayed or not. Many have held off spraying in very hot conditions or where grass wasn’t strong enough. The fear was that the spray could check the growth of the already struggling grass. Weeds haven’t struggled and have now reached a strong growth stage in many fields.

The advice is to graze these reseeds as soon as possible with light stock, ie weanlings or lambs; top any weeds after it has been grazed; spread 30 units N/acre to encourage grass growth; and then spray the regrowth when weeds have sufficient leaf. This will get a better kill than spraying weeds at a strong growth stage. Grazing should help tillering and thicken up the sward. If there is clover in the sward, use a clover-safe herbicide.

Grass

With rain forecast for many areas at the weekend, it’s time to start thinking about fertiliser. Surplus silage may be able to be taken out in August or September if sufficient fertiliser is spread. Depending on your stocking rate, you should be aiming to spread 20-30 units/acre. Where second cuts have been cut with poor yields, there will still be a proportion of N, P and K left so a third cut might be possible on some of these fields. If grass growth returns to normal levels, it’s important to allow grass grow to sufficient covers before grazing.

Fodder Crop

Is there scope to fertilise some extra fields for a quick fodder crop? The northwest of the country hasn’t been hit as hard with drought conditions and there may be scope on some lower-stocked beef and sheep farms to cut some more silage between now and the end of September. I have heard of dairy farmers doing deals for €60-€100/acre for the land for a short-term rental until the end of September. The farmer taking the land pays for the fertiliser and the contractor. If you are entering into an agreement like this, make sure everybody knows where they stand regarding access, dates, etc. It might be a good idea to write these points down. An arrangement like this could be a win-win for both parties.