Grass: We are entering into the most critical month of the year in terms of grassland management in my opinion. Get it wrong in May, you go into a tailspin and never really recover.

Get it right and you are set up for the year. The most important piece of the jigsaw is not going into too heavy of grass covers in May. Growth has been very strong over the last seven days on a lot of farms.

Some of the PastureBase Ireland farms have recorded growth of over 70kg DM/ha/day over the past week, which is twice the grass demand on some farms. This means it is taking longer to get around the rotation so you need to speed it up by taking out some strong paddocks as baled silage.

You shouldn’t be grazing covers over 1,500kg DM/ha or 10cm in height. If these heavy covers are grazed, you won’t get a good graze-out, stem will start to rise up for the rest of the year and topping will be required. Cattle also won’t do as well on these strong covers.

The most important job you can do over the next couple of days is walk every field/paddock on the farm. Don’t worry about measuring, just write down how many days you reckon it will take the grazing group to eat the field/paddock.

If the rotation is longer than 21 days, you need to take action. Don’t make the mistake of leaving it for cutting later. Weather could change and you might need it back in the rotation, so take it out now.

BEEP-S: To put it bluntly, it’s only a fool that would not apply for the new BEEP scheme. As one farmer put it to me this week, “It’s money for jam”, and it really is.

Weighing cows and calves, meal feeding weanlings at weaning or vaccinating calves and faecal sampling cows – it couldn’t get any simpler. Applications have been slow ahead of the closing date of next Friday 15 May but I’m assured by a few agricultural consultants that the scheme will be oversubscribed by the closing date.

Don’t make the mistake of not applying or forgetting to apply. Just because you joined last year doesn’t mean you are automatically entered into the scheme this year. You need to apply again.

BPS applications also close next Friday 15 May. This is the most important scheme deadline of the year. Applications need to be made online. If you don’t have access, contact an agricultural consultant or Teagasc adviser to make the application for you.

TB Testing: The Department of Agricluture (ROI) has issued a revised TB testing protocol this week. Farmers can now test calves under 120 days at their herd test if they wish to do so. People over 70 can also help out with the TB test if they wish.

The revised protocol extends the facilitation to delay tests; the exemption of calves under 120 days from the testing requirement; the facilitation of internal movements of calves up to 120 days; and the provision of a 28-day grace period after test due dates where trade will be facilitated.