Nutrient application: The recent uptake in grass growth has seen many farmers out again with tankers and spreaders for the first time since June.

Farmers who fear a high mineralisation of locked-up nutrients should either adjust the rate of application, or hold off a number of days before applying any chemical or organic fertilisers to reduce the risk of nitrate poisoning in cattle.

An application of 20-25 units N/acre – be it from fertiliser or a combination of fertiliser and slurry – should suffice to give nutrients to soil.

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A higher rate is generally not recommended for the above reason of nitrate poisoning, but also to prevent leaching into ground water.

With some cattle housed over the summer period, even low levels of slurry in these should be applied, more so to ensure that there is sufficient capacity for the winter housing period.

With regard to protected urea, some farmers have had stocks of such sitting in their yard since early summer. Most manufacturers recommend using it within six months of manufacturing, otherwise the protective enzyme will have degraded.

If this is not spread now and is held over until spring, this should still work fine, but will have to be treated the same as unprotected urea in regards to ideal spreading conditions.

Lungworm risk: With the recent warm, wet and humid weather cattle are at particular risk of lungworm infestation.

Use of a faecal egg count (FEC) is of little benefit in identifying a lungworm burden, as only adult worms will show up in the test, and by this stage much of the damage has been done.

Weanlings are at particular risk, as no immunity has been developed, so preventative treatment will be necessary. Consult your vet on the best steps on this.

Clinical signs of lungworm include a deep husky cough as animals try to clear their lungs, increased respiration and weight loss, as is common with any parasite burden. Take time to walk through and listen to cattle. While older cattle should have developed some immunity to lungworm, this does not mean that they are not susceptible to it in some cases. Look for the clinical signs as above and treat accordingly.

Stretching fodder: For some farmers in heavier soils, housing of cattle is just a few weeks away. Many of these farms should have sufficient fodder, but for those further east, grass covers are likely to lead to as early housing as any.

While fodder supplies are tight, fodder quality should be excellent, so assessing what fodder is available on-farm and what deficit there is now rather than later will allow you make informed decisions. Earlier selling of stock, increasing concentrate levels in finishing animals or stretching high-quality fodder with hay and/or straw will all aid.

Straw quality, similar to silage, is excellent this year and can easily be utilised in dry cow feed. While quality is excellent, supplies are low, so talk to your merchant in the near future.