Grass growth: Grass growth rates are exceptional, with many farms recording 80kg and 90kg per day of growth. Many wouldn’t see growth rates like this at the peak in growth in May and June. For most dairy farms stocked over at three cows per hectare it will be time to put away the mower and let the cows manage the grass from now on. While growth is exceptional, with good grazing management you should be able to get through it. Remember, typically you will see a big fall-off in growth rates from mid August onwards as the days get shorter and the temperatures drop.

For those farmers stocked less than this or on heavy soils where they don’t want to build grass covers, many farmers are still cutting out surplus grass from the grazing platform. The message is do it sooner rather than later to at least get the paddocks growing again and maximise the quality growth opportunity for the autumn.

To hedge their bets, some farmers will leave a paddock or two to build up a heavy cover and use this as a relief valve depending on where growth rates go. If high growth rates continued and they had plenty of grass they might cut in two weeks. If growth rates fall off, they can graze. The key is to have the heavy cover on a good dry paddock that potentially can be strip grazed in wet weather.

How high to build grass cover?: It’s a question that is often asked at this time of the year. The best farmers will aim for a cover between 1,200kg and 1,300kg by mid-September (approximately 400kg/Lu). After that they will gradually eat into that grass bank down to where they want to close in mid- to late November, maybe at a farm cover between 600kg and 700kg depending on next spring’s demand.

Heating water: Heating water is a problem on a lot of dairy farms. The problems are many – expensive to heat, not making enough hot water, not enough hot water available when you need it, not enough of water for the number of units in the parlour and/or the bulk tank. On page 42 we summarise what the options are.

The two issues to get your head around are the initial capital cost when you purchase equipment and the running cost. Heating water using electricity on day rates is over twice the cost of many of the other options. Oil burners are by far the cheapest in terms of running costs at the moment but as we all know oil prices are currently very low, and this may change.

Multispecies swards: I hear lots of farmers talking about multispecies swards that include herbs and many different types of grasses. Research on that crop in terms of persistency and yields is limited and at early stages. Clover and ryegrass have been with us a long time and even that mix is difficult to establish and sustain for many Irish farms. For most farmers the most productive multispecies sward will be a ryegrass with white clover. If dairy farmers can start with this and learn to manage it then it will be a good first step towards lowering their bag fertiliser requirement.

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Dairy management: grass growth, fertiliser and alternative medicines