Grazing
While many farmers are reporting that ground has never been as wet, I was speaking to a farmer in Donegal on Tuesday night who had walked his farm at the weekend and was surprised at how dry some of his paddocks were.
While a lot of farms still won’t be dry enough, the important thing is to get out there and see what fields are like and see what grass is available on the farm. With housing taking place early in autumn 2017 on many farms, there is probably an accumulation of grass on some of these fields. While these may be wet, there may be some parts of the farm that are dry enough to graze light weanlings or autumn calves beside a shed.
If turning out cattle, a good tip is to allow them into a yard area for a few hours before turnout. This means they will lose some of the exuberance of being freshly let out and, also, if they are a little hungry going out to grass, it means they will graze and not run around, damaging paddocks.
Soil temperatures are increasing, so aim to get some fertiliser out as soon as possible. If paddocks have recently had slurry applied, leave seven days between slurry and urea applications to get maximum efficiency. Grazing is also important as this will stimulate growth in paddocks not grazed.
Calving tips
At our calving demo on Tuesday night, Fidelma Tonry gave farmers a few good tips on difficult calvings. On assessing the size of the calf and whether vet assistance was needed, she said it’s not a one-rule-fits-all approach and you need to think about the cow’s calving history, the bull used and cow condition.
One tip was that if the legs are crossed, you need to proceed carefully as this may be a sign of big shoulders and a difficult calving. Use plenty of lubrication and get it around the calf as much as possible.
Another tip was that if a calf gets stuck at the hips, take off the jack, release pressure and try to manoeuvre the calf in any way you can. There is a bigger chance of the calf becoming compromised if at full stretch on the jack. She also said it is important to be careful where you source your colostrum from as it can be a source of entry for Johne’s disease on some farms. When asked about artificial colostrum, she said it’s important to remember that these will only act as an energy source and no disease immunity will be transferred if the calf doesn’t suck its mother. She urged farmers who have had scour issues in calves in the past to look at vaccinating their herd for scour.
Irish Farmers Journal/IFA SOS Mart Events
Thursday 22 February: Station Road Mart, Cootehill, Co Cavan, 7pm.Tuesday 27 February: Aurivo Mart, Mohill, Co Leitrim, 7pm.Wednesday 28 February: Clare Marts, Ennis, Co Clare, 7pm.All events are approved for the Knowledge Transfer programme and admission is free.
Grazing
While many farmers are reporting that ground has never been as wet, I was speaking to a farmer in Donegal on Tuesday night who had walked his farm at the weekend and was surprised at how dry some of his paddocks were.
While a lot of farms still won’t be dry enough, the important thing is to get out there and see what fields are like and see what grass is available on the farm. With housing taking place early in autumn 2017 on many farms, there is probably an accumulation of grass on some of these fields. While these may be wet, there may be some parts of the farm that are dry enough to graze light weanlings or autumn calves beside a shed.
If turning out cattle, a good tip is to allow them into a yard area for a few hours before turnout. This means they will lose some of the exuberance of being freshly let out and, also, if they are a little hungry going out to grass, it means they will graze and not run around, damaging paddocks.
Soil temperatures are increasing, so aim to get some fertiliser out as soon as possible. If paddocks have recently had slurry applied, leave seven days between slurry and urea applications to get maximum efficiency. Grazing is also important as this will stimulate growth in paddocks not grazed.
Calving tips
At our calving demo on Tuesday night, Fidelma Tonry gave farmers a few good tips on difficult calvings. On assessing the size of the calf and whether vet assistance was needed, she said it’s not a one-rule-fits-all approach and you need to think about the cow’s calving history, the bull used and cow condition.
One tip was that if the legs are crossed, you need to proceed carefully as this may be a sign of big shoulders and a difficult calving. Use plenty of lubrication and get it around the calf as much as possible.
Another tip was that if a calf gets stuck at the hips, take off the jack, release pressure and try to manoeuvre the calf in any way you can. There is a bigger chance of the calf becoming compromised if at full stretch on the jack. She also said it is important to be careful where you source your colostrum from as it can be a source of entry for Johne’s disease on some farms. When asked about artificial colostrum, she said it’s important to remember that these will only act as an energy source and no disease immunity will be transferred if the calf doesn’t suck its mother. She urged farmers who have had scour issues in calves in the past to look at vaccinating their herd for scour.
Irish Farmers Journal/IFA SOS Mart Events
Thursday 22 February: Station Road Mart, Cootehill, Co Cavan, 7pm.Tuesday 27 February: Aurivo Mart, Mohill, Co Leitrim, 7pm.Wednesday 28 February: Clare Marts, Ennis, Co Clare, 7pm.All events are approved for the Knowledge Transfer programme and admission is free.
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