There is drier weather forecast this week and temperatures are expected to remain relatively mild.

This should provide an opportunity for livestock farmers to get one last round of fertiliser on to grazing ground before the closing date for chemical fertiliser applications on 15 September.

Applying 25 to 30 units/acre will suffice and give grass growth a late season boost. This will help extend grazing into October.

Grazing

An option for making best use of late season fertiliser is to leave slightly higher sward residuals when moving cattle on to the next paddock.

Graze swards down to 5cm or 6cm, then move animals on to the next paddock. The higher residual means there is more green leaf in the sward and this will speed up regrowth.

Target to build around 25 to 30 days of grass ahead of cattle during September, depending on whether you operate on heavier or drier land and when you target housing date is.

This will help extend the grazing season in to late autumn. Other methods to help extend autumn grazing include:

  • Back fencing grazed areas to allow them to rest.
  • Pulling out cull cows for sale or finishing.
  • Increasing concentrate levels to cattle being finished off grass.
  • Housing heavy cattle destined for finishing in November and December.

    • Cattle health

    With weaning just around the corner, make sure calf health is up to date. Having calves wormed ahead of weaning will help to reduce the risks of respiratory problems once you start separating cows and calves.

    Vaccinating against respiratory disease is also advisable, especially on farms which have a history of health problems at weaning time.

    Also, have calves eating concentrates before weaning to ease the transition and reduce any drop in performance.

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