Weather

At this stage, most places have got enough rain for grass growth to rebound. However, some places have been unlucky to avoid the showers but with more rain forecast over the next week and beyond, things are looking fairly good on most farms.

The trick now is to time the removal of extra feed. Cut it too soon and grass will be too tight, leave it too late and covers will go too strong.

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It’s all about the difference between grass growth and herd demand, but it’s difficult to predict growth. I would suggest that an average grass growth rate of around 60-70kg/ha/day is likely on well fertilised farms that got enough rain.

That’s not too far off herd demand, so I would be inclined to keep supplement in the diet until covers go back to the normal range of 180kg to 200kg per cow.

That will happen quite quickly if demand is low, because there is still meal or silage in the diet. Most farmers are unhappy with grass quality and that’s to be expected.

The stem looks unsightly, but if the underlying pasture in-between the stemmy shoots is good it’s not much of a concern. If weather and grass growth is any way normal from now on, there should be an opportunity to skip some heavy paddocks for bales and/or top some poor quality paddocks.

Genotyping

The new genotyping programme is open for applicants but spaces are limited because of lab processing capacity, so apply early if you want to take part.

The application process is through the ICBF website and the closing date for dairy herds is 14 July but it is expected to be oversubscribed, as farmers see this as a great opportunity to get their herds genotyped for a fraction of the cost.

Prior to this, farmers were paying over €20/head to get their cows and calves genotyped. The scheme will pay for all animals to be genotyped this year for free.

The direct cost to the farmer will be €6/head to get calves genotyped for the next four years, but this includes the cost of the official tags which must be purchased anyway.

For me it’s a no brainer to take part, as being able to show calf buyers what the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) of calves is going to become more and more of a talking point when it comes to selling calves.

Taking part in the genotyping programme will mean a slight delay in getting cards back, with ICBF saying an 11 day window between tagging the calf and getting the blue cards back. So herd owners that must sell calves within 14 days should not take part.

Flies

It’s high risk time for flies with all this warm and muggy weather. The most at risk animals are in-calf heifers and dry cows, as flies can cause summer mastitis.

Flies are also a nuisance to other animals and can really disturb milking cows, making them cross in the parlour.

There are chemical and non-chemical controls available and many farmers opting for pour-on type treatments, but there is growing concern about the impact these have on beneficial insects like dung beetles.

Stockholm tar and fly tags are non-chemical controls. Animals in high risk areas such as fields close to rivers and woods will need more regular treatment.