Feed: While silage stocks are low in many yards, usage has dropped considerably as cows and youngstock were let out to grass. No doubt there will be days over the next month when cows will have to be housed again, but hopefully only for short periods. Rebuilding silage stocks in 2019 must be a priority for every farmer. Some will have silage left over, but can this be added to? Could you buy silage at reasonable value now, and use that instead of your own stocks for the next six weeks? The cows that are calving from now on are generally in good condition score, so they only need a maintenance diet from now on – in other words, their silage should be restricted or fed poorer-quality stuff. I’m hearing that palm kernel is available in large loads for €153/t delivered. While an expensive feed at around 17.6c/kgDM if it’s at 15% moisture, it does represent value when you consider what some farmers are paying for silage and renting land. A word of caution when feeding palm kernel to dry cows: some farmers doing this are experiencing more stillborn births than normal.

Youngstock: Ideally, maiden heifers should be out grazing by now, or at least the lightest of them. Maiden heifers approaching 13 months of age now should weigh 53% of their mature liveweight. If that’s 550kg, they should weigh 292kg now. If their mature liveweight is heavier at 580kg then they should weigh 307kg now. Many yearling heifers were turned out to increase the area grazed on the milking blocks. Now that that’s done, they should either stay on the milking platform, go to an outfarm or back to the shed. Whether or not they can stay on the platform depends on average farm cover. They shouldn’t get grass at the expense of milking cows. If going to an outfarm, you should continue to strip graze them in 12- to 48-hour allocations depending on ground conditions. Now that these animals are adjusted to grazing, it would be a shame to house them again. They don’t need any meal if out at grass and thriving.

Calves: March is the month for problems with calves. Don’t mix younger calves with older calves. Keep feeding equipment clean and keep beds well topped up with straw or woodchip. If the weather is agreeable, have a place in mind where you can let the oldest out. This will save on bedding and frees up shed space for other calves. With less milk being withheld from the tank, the decision needs to be made whether calves are going to be fed milk replacer or if milk will be taken from the tank. Cost-wise, milk replacer mixed at 12.5% solids is costing in the region of 27c/l. Whole milk, at the same solids (eg 4.5% lactose, 4.5% fat and 3.5% protein) would be worth around 35c/l at current prices. If the percentage of solids in the litre of milk drops, so too will the price and the feed value for the calf. But remember, milk replacer is a substitute for whole milk. On calves, there are still lots of calves being rejected for sale in marts because they are less than 10 days old. If the date of birth on the card is 20 February, that calf can only be sold on or after 2 March.