Drought conditions
Drought conditions continue to upset grazing plans around the country. While parts of the west received rain over the weekend, much of the country continues to be in severe moisture deficit. There isn’t a lot can be done except keep feed and water to stock. It was never more important to do a detailed fodder budget for you farm for this winter. Feeding extra meal will reduce your forage demand and it’s important to remember if you have 50% of your forage requirements the remaining deficit can be made up with meal. I was on a farm in the east this week where calves are visibly showing signs of reduced thrive, dry hair, etc. The advice is to go in with creep to calves where cows have dropped off in milk yield. This will reduce stress levels and keep calves growing.
Under-16-month autumn bulls
Getting the housing weight right is critical in under-16-month bull-producing systems and with many farmers considering housing autumn-born bulls over the next few weeks, housing at the right weight is very important in avoiding overweight carcases. Housing these animals earlier may also help reduce grass demand when growth returns. The advice here is to consult with your processor as to the age and weight of the animals that will be coming fit and likely time of slaughter. With weight issues coming more into the fray in recent weeks, you should endeavour to have an average carcase weight of under 420kg. A bull with a carcase weight of 420kg at a kill-out of 58% will weigh about 700-720kg liveweight at slaughter. Factoring in an average weight gain of 1.5-1.8 kg/day bulls need to be housed at 500-560kg liveweight. To maintain high levels of performance, concentrates should be given at grass up to about 5kg/day in one to two feeds prior to housing. This will ensure that there is no check in the bulls’ weight gain. The increase to ad-lib meal feeding levels can then take place indoors over a two-week period. Once indoors, avoid stressing bulls too much by moving them often and never mix bulls that haven’t been together in pens. When feeding bulls at grass, think safety at all times. I was talking to a factory agent who says there is an increased number of stock being slaughtered in the last two to three weeks under the required fat score of 2+ to achieve the QA bonus. Make sure animals are fit before slaughter to maximise returns
Farm safety
It’s National Farm Safety Week this week and farm safety has been in the headlines all week. When it’s the topic of conversation, use this opportunity to make some positive changes to the farm. They don’t have to be major investments, just small changes to make your farm safer. Have a read through your farm safety statement and make sure it’s up to date. 2018 has been a tough year so far so it’s important to take some time out and make sure you get some rest or holidays and time spent with family over summer holidays. Research has proven where fatigue and tiredness is a factor accidents are more prone to occur.
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