Grass+ Beef: last rotation commences for 2024

October has landed, and by and large it has come on softly, with some above average temperatures and some much pleasant sunshine. October is an important month in the grazing calendar, as it is the coming weeks that establishes how the farm will be set up for grazing in spring 2025.

All farms should commence closing of paddocks from now on, with the aim being to hold the rotation length to 40 days i.e grazing up until 10th November.

This will not be a reality for all, but efforts should be maintained to keep some lighter stock at grass as long as possible, both to reduce feed costs and slurry storage, but more importantly to get any heavy covers grazed off for the winter.

The paddocks that should be grazed in the next two weeks or so should be some of the ‘’middling’’ paddocks. These are the paddocks that have ok access, aren’t right beside the yard but not at the furthest point and are relatively dry.

These will be the paddocks that will hopefully be grazed between early and mid-March at covers of 800-1,000kg DM/ha.

Hold off on grazing any reseeds or clover paddocks just yet, as you will want to keep covers low on these to allow light to the base of the plant for tillering, and to prevent grasses smothering out clovers.

Niall O’Meara – Killimor, Co Galway

All weanling bulls have been sold now. This year’s batch were back by about 30kg on normal, weighing an average of 462kg at 368 days and selling for €1,296, consuming 88kg of meal in their life.

Their heifer comrades are all being retained for breeding and will calve down at 22-24 months next autumn.

Some paddocks around the yard were closed up for creep grazing of calves once they go indoors at the end of the month. The plan is to graze hard for the month of October, as cows and heifers will then be housed as breeding commences on 7 November. I hope to close up at a cover of 650kg DM/ha.

I’m in a good position fodder wise with some second and third cut baled at the beginning of September.

System Suckler to weanling

Soil Type Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 949

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 43

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 35

Derek O’Donoghue – Salesian College, Co Limerick

We have had excess grass for much of our first year in organics, as we have grown more than we expected to. As a result, we are bringing in calves from the dairy herd every now and then to whip covers off paddocks.

While there is a lot of grass on the farm at the minute, we will hope to keep the ewe flock out until mid-January, as lambing will not be commencing until mid-March, so any heavy covers will be sorted by then.

The rams will be joining the ewes in the next two weeks.

Lambs are still on grass only, though we will assess the next batch of lambs regarding fat cover and may introduce concentrates. We lost some lambs to Barber pole worms, so all sheep were then dosed for it.

System Organic drystock

Soil Type Free draining

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 1,109

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 38

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 10

Trevor Boland – Dromard, Co Sligo

Grass is tight on the home block where we have the autumn calving cows. With breeding set to commence on 15 October, we will likely house most of these in the next week or so, with the eight cows left to calve remaining outdoors for now.

Paddocks have been saved for creep grazing of calves around the yard, with calves having access to these by day.

Breeding and beef heifers are still at grass on the out block, receiving 1kg of ration per day to keep them ticking over. The heifers for breeding will be brought home and housed alongside the cows, with the beef heifers waiting out hopefully until November. We will start breeding these using some Angus sires around 20 October.

System Suckler to weanling

Soil Type Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 486

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 18

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 29