It is extremely difficult to make grassland management plans for this autumn and next spring when you are at the absolute mercy of the weather.
When we hear about targets for the likes of average farm cover, closing up date and percentage of milking platform grazed, does that apply to the northern half of the island, or is that just for farmers in southern counties?
Dairylink Ireland farmers, who are located from south Monaghan to north Derry discussed grazing plans with programme adviser Aidan Cushnahan and Irish Farmers Journal dairy specialist Stephen Connolly last week.
If adequate covers are not there, cows will not be out grazing, regardless of ground conditions
What happens on programme farms over the next few weeks will affect what is available to graze this autumn and, more importantly, next spring. Aidan put it well when he described it as “creating opportunities” for early grazing in the spring.
This is because it could be a wet spring and cows might not get on to ground anyway, but the covers will be available for grazing as soon as conditions allow. If adequate covers are not there, cows will not be out grazing, regardless of ground conditions.
Irish Farmers Journal dairy specialist Stephen Connolly spoke to programme farmers last week.
Dairylink participants aim for a few general grazing targets in the autumn. This is all weather-dependent, but it provides broad principles for setting up the milking platform for next spring.
If you have paddocks with over 2,000kg DM/ha utilisable cover, they are more difficult to graze and they will be slower at coming back for the spring
Programme farms ideally want to build average farm cover to around 1,100kg DM/ha for the start of the last grazing round. This figure is for utilisable cover, which is total average farm cover minus 1,500 kgDM/ha.
“Going into the last round with higher covers doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have more grass next year. If you have paddocks with over 2,000kg DM/ha utilisable cover, they are more difficult to graze and they will be slower at coming back for the spring,” Stephen said.
The other main target on Dairylink farms is to have an average farm cover of around 650kg DM/ha at the end of the last grazing round. At closing up, the heaviest covers should be on the driest paddocks so that they can be grazed first in the spring.
Utilisation
Wet weather over the past two weeks, followed by Storm Francis on Tuesday, has deteriorated ground conditions and some Dairylink farmers expect an early winter. As the weekly table at the bottom of this page shows, there is plenty of grass on programme farms and utilising it is the main issue at present.
If cows end up being housed early for the winter and average farm cover is too high, the main options are to use young stock or sheep to graze paddocks down to target covers and remove dead material.
But too much grazing in winter months can leave covers at a low starting point in the spring and it can seal the soil surface which leaves ground tender, so winter grazing should not go on for any longer than necessary.
A lot of farmers want to improve grazing infrastructure for their wet fields, but you won’t be grazing this ground when conditions are wet anyway
Having good grazing infrastructure is essential for getting cows out to grass in wet conditions, such as the present time or a late spring. This includes having good laneways and multiple entry points to paddocks. Also, having plenty of drinkers allows cows to be back fenced in 12-hour breaks which prevents grazed ground from being walked over again.
“A lot of farmers want to improve grazing infrastructure for their wet fields, but you won’t be grazing this ground when conditions are wet anyway. Make sure you have your best grazing infrastructure to your driest paddocks because this is where cows will be when its wet,” Stephen said.
Fertiliser sooner
rather than later
Dairylink farmers who are likely to get cows back out to grass in earnest after this week’s wet weather were advised to get some nitrogen on to paddocks before the closed period begins on 15 September.
“If nitrogen is due again, it’s worth putting out something, even just 20 units per acre to keep greenness in the grass. If you skip the last round too early, grass quality will take a hit in the autumn. It’s a long time from August to February if grass has got no fertiliser,” Stephen Connolly said.
Dairylink farmers are keen to get slurry stores emptied before the winter by getting a light application on to fields that had low indices for phosphorus and potassium in last winter’s soil analysis
With more heavy rain in recent days, spreading will not happen this week, but farmers were encouraged to get fertiliser on as soon as conditions allow. If it is left too close to the mid-September deadline, there will be less response in terms of grass growth. Dairylink farmers are keen to get slurry stores emptied before the winter by getting a light application on to fields that had low indices for phosphorus and potassium in last winter’s soil analysis.
Some participants are also thinking about building soil fertility for next year by getting lime and potash on to ground once conditions allow. The closed period for chemical fertiliser does not apply to lime or potash only fertilisers, such as 0-0-60, so they can go on after 15 September if need be.
Read more
Dairylink: third cut silage and calving heifers
Building a picture of animal health
It is extremely difficult to make grassland management plans for this autumn and next spring when you are at the absolute mercy of the weather.
When we hear about targets for the likes of average farm cover, closing up date and percentage of milking platform grazed, does that apply to the northern half of the island, or is that just for farmers in southern counties?
Dairylink Ireland farmers, who are located from south Monaghan to north Derry discussed grazing plans with programme adviser Aidan Cushnahan and Irish Farmers Journal dairy specialist Stephen Connolly last week.
If adequate covers are not there, cows will not be out grazing, regardless of ground conditions
What happens on programme farms over the next few weeks will affect what is available to graze this autumn and, more importantly, next spring. Aidan put it well when he described it as “creating opportunities” for early grazing in the spring.
This is because it could be a wet spring and cows might not get on to ground anyway, but the covers will be available for grazing as soon as conditions allow. If adequate covers are not there, cows will not be out grazing, regardless of ground conditions.
Irish Farmers Journal dairy specialist Stephen Connolly spoke to programme farmers last week.
Dairylink participants aim for a few general grazing targets in the autumn. This is all weather-dependent, but it provides broad principles for setting up the milking platform for next spring.
If you have paddocks with over 2,000kg DM/ha utilisable cover, they are more difficult to graze and they will be slower at coming back for the spring
Programme farms ideally want to build average farm cover to around 1,100kg DM/ha for the start of the last grazing round. This figure is for utilisable cover, which is total average farm cover minus 1,500 kgDM/ha.
“Going into the last round with higher covers doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have more grass next year. If you have paddocks with over 2,000kg DM/ha utilisable cover, they are more difficult to graze and they will be slower at coming back for the spring,” Stephen said.
The other main target on Dairylink farms is to have an average farm cover of around 650kg DM/ha at the end of the last grazing round. At closing up, the heaviest covers should be on the driest paddocks so that they can be grazed first in the spring.
Utilisation
Wet weather over the past two weeks, followed by Storm Francis on Tuesday, has deteriorated ground conditions and some Dairylink farmers expect an early winter. As the weekly table at the bottom of this page shows, there is plenty of grass on programme farms and utilising it is the main issue at present.
If cows end up being housed early for the winter and average farm cover is too high, the main options are to use young stock or sheep to graze paddocks down to target covers and remove dead material.
But too much grazing in winter months can leave covers at a low starting point in the spring and it can seal the soil surface which leaves ground tender, so winter grazing should not go on for any longer than necessary.
A lot of farmers want to improve grazing infrastructure for their wet fields, but you won’t be grazing this ground when conditions are wet anyway
Having good grazing infrastructure is essential for getting cows out to grass in wet conditions, such as the present time or a late spring. This includes having good laneways and multiple entry points to paddocks. Also, having plenty of drinkers allows cows to be back fenced in 12-hour breaks which prevents grazed ground from being walked over again.
“A lot of farmers want to improve grazing infrastructure for their wet fields, but you won’t be grazing this ground when conditions are wet anyway. Make sure you have your best grazing infrastructure to your driest paddocks because this is where cows will be when its wet,” Stephen said.
Fertiliser sooner
rather than later
Dairylink farmers who are likely to get cows back out to grass in earnest after this week’s wet weather were advised to get some nitrogen on to paddocks before the closed period begins on 15 September.
“If nitrogen is due again, it’s worth putting out something, even just 20 units per acre to keep greenness in the grass. If you skip the last round too early, grass quality will take a hit in the autumn. It’s a long time from August to February if grass has got no fertiliser,” Stephen Connolly said.
Dairylink farmers are keen to get slurry stores emptied before the winter by getting a light application on to fields that had low indices for phosphorus and potassium in last winter’s soil analysis
With more heavy rain in recent days, spreading will not happen this week, but farmers were encouraged to get fertiliser on as soon as conditions allow. If it is left too close to the mid-September deadline, there will be less response in terms of grass growth. Dairylink farmers are keen to get slurry stores emptied before the winter by getting a light application on to fields that had low indices for phosphorus and potassium in last winter’s soil analysis.
Some participants are also thinking about building soil fertility for next year by getting lime and potash on to ground once conditions allow. The closed period for chemical fertiliser does not apply to lime or potash only fertilisers, such as 0-0-60, so they can go on after 15 September if need be.
Read more
Dairylink: third cut silage and calving heifers
Building a picture of animal health
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