Spring is really kicking in to gear on farms as calves are hitting the ground at a rapid rate this week.

It’s all go, and completing an opening cover on Pasturebase might be the furthest thing from many farmer’s minds when all this organised chaos is on. If you haven’t done so, it is still very worthwhile to ascertain the amount of grass on farm, especially where a closing cover was not done.

From there, you will be able to complete a spring rotation planner, starting out with paddocks of medium cover while demand is low, before building up to covers between 1,000-1,500kg DM/ha.

Slurry and fertiliser

Slurry stores are creeping up in yards, and many will be looking to get some slurry out on land. Good quality slurry is worth €28/1,000 gallons, so it’s not something you want to be throwing out willy nilly.

A soil thermometer is no bad investment, and will be quick to tell you whether you should go out with a decent volume or just enough to get by for now. Ideally soil temperatures should be above 7°C for decent growing conditions and nutrient uptake.

The same can be said for chemical fertiliser. While the closed period is now past, bagged fertiliser is still an expensive commodity and should be treated as such when it comes to application.

Target paddocks with a cover of grass already on them as they will have higher growth rates than grazed off paddocks. A maximum of 20 units N/acre should be applied, and with slurry and chemical N, be mindful of buffer zones when applying.