Having identified a silage deficit at Christmas, I made a few decisions at that time to try and alleviate problems that could materialise later in spring. I’m glad I did act at Christmas to secure extra fodder, as I would be having major difficulty to source fodder in this area at present.
I sold the spring born bull weanlings in February and I also sold some cull cows which reduced daily feed demand. To stretch silage stocks, I have increased the levels of meal being fed to cattle. The spring calving cows are getting an extra 2kg/day to reduce silage intakes.
The additional meal consumed and purchasing forage is going to have a negative impact on the 2013 profit margin but we must cross one hill at a time. I am conscious that I do not want to let the cows lose too much body condition as it may delay them coming back into heat. I do not want an extended calving period after spending the last three years tightening it.
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There was slurry and FYM spread back at the end of January. No fertilizer has been spread yet as soil temperatures have been too low so I will probably go with some next week if there is any improvement in the weather. Ground is still quite wet here which has delayed turnout of livestock. As a result, we may decide against grazing the silage fields as there are very low covers on them.
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Having identified a silage deficit at Christmas, I made a few decisions at that time to try and alleviate problems that could materialise later in spring. I’m glad I did act at Christmas to secure extra fodder, as I would be having major difficulty to source fodder in this area at present.
I sold the spring born bull weanlings in February and I also sold some cull cows which reduced daily feed demand. To stretch silage stocks, I have increased the levels of meal being fed to cattle. The spring calving cows are getting an extra 2kg/day to reduce silage intakes.
The additional meal consumed and purchasing forage is going to have a negative impact on the 2013 profit margin but we must cross one hill at a time. I am conscious that I do not want to let the cows lose too much body condition as it may delay them coming back into heat. I do not want an extended calving period after spending the last three years tightening it.
There was slurry and FYM spread back at the end of January. No fertilizer has been spread yet as soil temperatures have been too low so I will probably go with some next week if there is any improvement in the weather. Ground is still quite wet here which has delayed turnout of livestock. As a result, we may decide against grazing the silage fields as there are very low covers on them.
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