Fertiliser:

Grass growth is flying, with average growth rates at 82kg/day and many farms growing in excess of 100kg/day. Looking at historical growth patterns, we rarely get more than two or three weeks of rapid growth. Then, grass goes to seed and growth comes back a bit. Keep this in mind when planning for the next few weeks.

In terms of fertiliser, the recommendation this year is to spread the equivalent of one unit per day for the summer. So, if on an 18-day rotation, you should spread 18 units/acre after grazing. Taking a break from spreading fertiliser when growth is good isn’t a good idea because it will exacerbate the drop in growth when it does come.

Be wary of spreading ordinary urea in sunny and windy conditions as ammonia losses will occur. There also needs to be moisture in the soil for urea to convert to ammonia. As many farmers are at first-cut silage this week, attention will turn to fertilising this ground for the second cut. In terms of nitrogen, 80 units/acre will be required. P and K rates will depend on soil fertility, but index two soils need eight units/acre of P and 44 units/acre of K. Spreading 3,000 gallons/acre of cattle slurry will provide nearly all of the P and K requirements, but little or none of the nitrogen, especially if spread with a splashplate.

Breeding:

Time is running out for managing the breeding season. Bulls will be out in two weeks’ time in most herds. Picking up cows in heat is harder now than it was, so extra observations may be needed and/or the use of better heat detection aids.

Some farmers use scratch cards as well as or instead of paint in the second round of AI as they find the scratch cards easier to see when the number of mounts decreases. At this stage, most farmers are between three and five weeks into breeding. Identify the cows not yet served and get them scanned.

When the bulls go out, you won’t know for sure what has been served and what hasn’t so now is the final chance to influence the fertility performance of these cows.

Some will need CIDRs, some will need PG while others will just need more time. Now is a good time to get bulls fertility tested prior to use. While it doesn’t guarantee they will be fertile for the season, a bull that is sub-fertile now should be slaughtered.

Money: This week, we go into detail on >good ways to spend money. Good investment will simplify the running of the farm and help it to make more money.

Now is a good time to work out how much cash surplus will be available this year. Get out the bank statements and work out income and costs to date, then project these ahead for the rest of the year. Of course, not all of the surplus needs to be spent. Putting some money aside for a rainy day fund is essential, given the fluctuations in milk price. I was chatting to a farmer during the week who puts aside a set percentage of each sale (milk and stock sales) into a savings account, out of reach of the current account.

Read more

Dairy management: pre-mowing or topping - which is better?

Dairy markets: FrieslandCampina and Arla increase June milk prices