Drainage works: With a good forecast for the week and ground conditions firming up, there is an opportunity to look at drainage issues. Where livestock are grazing, poor drainage will normally occur in the top 6in of the soil due to compaction from machinery and livestock in wet conditions. Shallow compaction issues can be easily identified by examining the soil structure. Use a spade or a shovel to cut a T into the soil and bruise up a cross-section of the clay. Where there is little to no compaction, soil should break away freely, where a compaction layer occurs, it will not break away as easy. Spikers, shakerators or shallow sub-soiling can help break the pan and allow water to soak through, but this depends greatly on soil and subsoil type. Where drainage is an issue in subsoil, digging shores and using drainage pipes and stone chips may be the only option to help drainage.

Maintaining grass quality: Although grass is slightly slower to head out this year due to the weather, the past few days have seen a noted change in grass quality. It is essential to keep grass growing and leafy to reduce the risk of heading. Fertiliser should be applied where it has received none in the last few weeks. A rate of 15-27 units N/acre should be adequate. With ground conditions now dry in many areas, CAN is the preferred nitrogen source for most farmers. However, urea is still cheaper and may be a good option on heavy land. A simple rule of thumb is to kneel on the ground – if there is sufficient dampness in the ground to wet your knee, then there should be a good response. Spreading in the evening will also help to reduce losses through volatilisation. Pre-grazing sward heights are key at this time of the year. Aim to graze swards at 8cm or less (1,300kg DM/ha) to ensure that they does not become too stemmy. With improved grazing conditions, it is essential that swards are grazed down to 4cm-5cm, or topped after grazing to ensure quality re-growth.

Grass silage: The past week has seen a flurry in silage activity. With silage quality quite good in most areas, you should remain focused on minimising losses. Crows will tend to pick worms from newly cut fields. If the round bales are present in the field they may use them as perches and cause perforations to the plastic. This can increase spoilage and mould. Where round bales are wrapped in fields, they should be moved to the slab or hardcore areas quickly to prevent damage. Remember that when storing bales on hardcore or concrete without effluent channels, do not stack them more than two-bales high. To prevent spoilage on clamps, ensure that the cover is tightened every few days while the clamp is settling. Allowing the cover to flap will draw air inside and increase losses around the edges. When spreading effluent, the advice is to dilute it 1:1 with slurry/water before applying. Avoid rates over 2,000gals/acre and don’t spread in wet weather to prevent run-offs.