Wet conditions didn’t discourage the large crowd that turned out for the Dairylink farm walk held on David Brady’s farm just outside Stradone, Co Cavan. If anything, the conditions highlighted the challenge dairy farming in this area can be at 650ft above sea level and over 50in of rainfall annually, coupled with heavy soil types.

The conditions also helped visitors appreciate the system of production David operates, from the level of investment into the grazing platform infrastructure, and the daily management of the 80-cow herd required on the farm.

Land improvement, soil fertility, grazing infrastructure and cow type are all topics at the very top of David Brady’s action list for the farm.

The visitors got a good introduction from David on the farm, highlighting where it has come from and the general direction it is heading. Undoubtedly, the topics just mentioned are the cornerstone issues for the farm and it is no coincidence that these topics headlined each stop on the farm walk.

Grazing infrastructure

As visitors walked the grazing platform, it was clear to see the infrastructure in place on the farm. David highlighted it as an essential part of the farm, especially when soil type is relatively heavy.

Good fencing, with multiple access points to paddocks is vital, to minimise the damage caused by poaching and getting cows in and out of paddocks.

Grass is walked weekly and provides vital information on individual paddocks, allowing David to make decisions on grass supply to ensure quality is maintained throughout the season.

David has just completed his autumn grass budget, which was the focus of some discussion on the day. In summary, David’s stocking density is currently low on the grazing platform.

This is a result of a significant proportion of the grazing block only coming on line now after drainage and reseeding has been completed. Also, the herd is expanding, but it is slow and from homegrown replacements.

Some farmers in the crowd said that David could carry more cows on the grazing block and the higher stocking rate would actually improve the grass quality and performance. Grass growth has improved on the farm, with over 1t more growth on the same period last year. Visitors walked a paddock where the cows were grazing, with a section in the field that was not going to be grazed this time.

David explained that with heavy rain forecast for two days ahead, he wanted to move cows to a heavy soil-type paddock before the rain arrived. Flexibility is key when grazing in wet conditions, explained David.

Soil fertility

Soil fertility was flagged as a priority area, with 90% of the farm not optimal in terms of soil pH, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). The big offender for David is soil P, with 60% of the farm in index 1 and 2 for soil P.

While slurry has been applied on these areas over the past two years, the soil P and K deficiency has not been rectified, supporting the fact that slurry can just about support maintenance for these nutrients. The deficit has been partly addressed this year with compound fertiliser and, on some very low index fields, straight phosphorus and potash. Addressing these issues will not only grow more grass but also improve silage quality on the farm.

Cow type

A key element to David’s system is his cow type and the replacement breeding policy. Cows must be bred to be durable, fertile and to produce high yields of milk solids.

Traditionally, the herd was Holstein with a pedigree status. In more recent years, David has moved away from this and is now focused just on breeding high-EBI cows.

His land type means that cows need to be smaller, produce the target 450kg of milk solids and be more fertile to allow the calving profile to be tighter. Currently, calving starts on 1 February and continues for 16 weeks. David holds the breeding policy central to the success of the business and is considering using some Jersey genetics on the herd.

Planning ahead

Planning ahead for David involves capitalising on the investment he has made to date on the farm. This year alone, nearly €30,000 has been spent on land improvement. David has plans in place to capture the benefits of this work.

While the herd will expand, this will be done over a three-year period, pushing the stocking rate on the platform to 2.85 cows/ha with a target of 1,200kg/ha of milk solids from the grazing block.

Using the improved infrastructure to capitalise on early spring and late autumn grass is critical to the overall plan, especially as the calving profile gets tighter (target of a 12-week window). Cost control is good on the farm. However, the land improvement work is eating into cash reserves. It is expected that there will be a positive cash surplus on the farm next year.