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Rain has been recorded in most regions of the country over the past couple of days and will help to give grass growth a short-term boost.
Make the most of the rain by getting fertiliser on to grazing and silage swards. Where swards have been scorched due to the lack of soil moisture, apply a fertiliser with phosphate (P), potash (K) and sulphur (S).
If you are spreading CAN, opt for a product with added sulphur to maximise grass growth. Ideally, apply 25 to 30 units of nitrogen per acre.
However, avoid spreading fertiliser in advance of the torrential downpours forecast mid-week.
Buffer feeding
Swards that have been grazed tight to the ground will still take two to three weeks to recover, regardless of rain levels and fertiliser being applied.
Therefore, grass covers will remain low during this time, as grazing cattle will be eating off the fresh regrowth.
As such, it is still important to keep buffer feeding cattle, thereby easing the demand for grass over the next few weeks.
Silage can be fed in ring feeders, but it must be kept fresh. For forward stores, feeding higher levels of supplementary concentrates will also ease the demand for grass, helping sward covers build ahead of stock.
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