While growth has been relatively ok, albeit behind normal for most beef farms, much of this has been seen in paddocks yet to be grazed in the first round, with the earliest grazed paddocks still very light in cover.

This is posing a challenge for some farmers. Should they enter these now in the coming days, cows will quickly fly through them and we could be at a slight pinch point for grass (at peak growth) right at breeding time as we have driven farm cover down to low to utilise high growth rates.

It might be a time to steady the ship on these farms with regard turning out cattle, or explore the option of bringing cattle in at night and buffer feeding with silage to stretch out grass supplies.

ADVERTISEMENT

On the converse, there are farms that have little to no grazing done that are still indoors and running out of fodder. For these farmers, replenishing fodder stocks will be a priority. See beef management notes this week regarding more information on this.

Beef farmers

Ger McSweeney – Millstreet, Co Cork

Half of the cows with the older calves were grazing, with later-calving cows having remained indoors, but we were forced to bring all cows back indoors again on Tuesday night with the wet weather. We have three paddocks left in the first rotation, with regrowths on paddocks behind where we would like. Anything that has been grazed has received an application of 29-0-14, but our strongest paddocks for the second round still only have covers of 1,000kg DM/ha on them. The poor weather has also been affecting heats, with cows showing reduced activity.

System Suckler to beef

Soil type Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 900

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 30

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 29

Niall O’Meara – Killimor, Co Galway

I grazed hard this spring despite the weather, and have now seven paddocks out of 45 left to graze in the first round. Some damage was done, but these paddocks will be over sown with grass and clover seed using a Guttler.

We spread 2,250 gallons slurry/ac on 20 paddocks last week, which was injected into the ground.

Weanlings were weighed on Tuesday, with bulls averaging 305kg at 1.15kg DLWG and heifers at 288kg with a DLWG of 1.12kg. Average date of birth is 9 September. I’m holding off on spreading fertiliser until soil temperatures increase.

System Suckler to weanling

Soil type Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 746

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 40

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 29

Shaun Diver – Tullamore Farm, Co Offaly

We have 60 acres taken out for first cut, with an additional 13 acres for spring barley and three acres for wholecrop, so we will need good growth in May with demand predicted to be 44kg DM/ha.

Next to no first cut silage from last year has been eaten, which is 73 DMD, so I’m aiming to get a bulky cut of first cut this year for dry cow feed and we should hopefully not require any second cut thereafter.

Silage ground is yet to receive chemical fertiliser owing to the wet weather, which we will hope to spread early next week.

System Suckler to beef

Soil Type Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 783

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 24

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 28