Grass tetany: This week and next will be high risk for grass tetany. Cows are at peak production, nights are cold, weather is wet, grass is growing quickly and many cows are coming in heat, which all add to the risk. Cows need to be supplemented with magnesium daily because they can’t store magnesium in their bodies. Grazing covers that are high in potash and nitrogen can increase the risk because both potash and nitrogen affect magnesium absorption.
Most farmers will feed magnesium through meal. If meal costs are €250/t and 2kg/cow/day is being fed, the total cost is 50c/cow/day. The cows will probably produce an extra litre of milk from being fed 2kg so the net cost is probably around 20c/cow/day; this usually includes trace element supplementation. The key thing is you don’t need to feed 3kg or 4kg of meal to avoid tetany. Some merchants even make up rations with the full level of magnesium in a 1kg nut.
Other options include putting magnesium in the water or paddock dusting. Some automated water systems can adjust the rate depending on how much water is being drunk by the herd. When other minerals are added it can become an expensive enough way of supplementing. Other farmers just add magnesium flakes to the water and increase the rate on wet days. Paddock dusting with calmag powder is another very cheap and effective way of getting magnesium into cows, but it is another job which must be done.
Meal: Many feed merchants promote rations with added ingredients. Some claim to improve butterfat percentages and others fertility performance. These rations nearly always cost more than the standard ration. There’s little or no evidence of them improving butterfat levels on grass-based systems at low feeding rates and for herds 90 to 100 days in milk. If worried about a mineral or trace element deficiency, arrange with your vet for blood samples to be taken and analysed and make an informed decision. In the vast majority of cases, using high-EBI bulls to breed more fertile cows, having cows in the right body condition score at breeding and using good heat detection will have a far greater impact on fertility than special ingredients in dairy nuts.
Clover: There’s little research into the best way to oversow clover but the following points might help to encourage good germination:
Do not oversow into a dense, thick sward as the clover seed will not get sunlight.If broadcasting either graze directly after sowing or roll after sowing.Spreading soiled water after sowing will help to create seed to soil contact.A ring roller will probably be more effective in an established sward than a flat roller. Sow at a rate of 1.5 to 2kg/ac.If broadcasting with fertiliser, mix the seed with the fertiliser in the field.Try and avoid mixing seed with urea-based fertiliser as this could be toxic to the seedlings.Graze at low covers for the rest of the year. Read more
Protected urea - questions answered
€25m Glanbia dividend for farmers and co-op
Grass tetany: This week and next will be high risk for grass tetany. Cows are at peak production, nights are cold, weather is wet, grass is growing quickly and many cows are coming in heat, which all add to the risk. Cows need to be supplemented with magnesium daily because they can’t store magnesium in their bodies. Grazing covers that are high in potash and nitrogen can increase the risk because both potash and nitrogen affect magnesium absorption.
Most farmers will feed magnesium through meal. If meal costs are €250/t and 2kg/cow/day is being fed, the total cost is 50c/cow/day. The cows will probably produce an extra litre of milk from being fed 2kg so the net cost is probably around 20c/cow/day; this usually includes trace element supplementation. The key thing is you don’t need to feed 3kg or 4kg of meal to avoid tetany. Some merchants even make up rations with the full level of magnesium in a 1kg nut.
Other options include putting magnesium in the water or paddock dusting. Some automated water systems can adjust the rate depending on how much water is being drunk by the herd. When other minerals are added it can become an expensive enough way of supplementing. Other farmers just add magnesium flakes to the water and increase the rate on wet days. Paddock dusting with calmag powder is another very cheap and effective way of getting magnesium into cows, but it is another job which must be done.
Meal: Many feed merchants promote rations with added ingredients. Some claim to improve butterfat percentages and others fertility performance. These rations nearly always cost more than the standard ration. There’s little or no evidence of them improving butterfat levels on grass-based systems at low feeding rates and for herds 90 to 100 days in milk. If worried about a mineral or trace element deficiency, arrange with your vet for blood samples to be taken and analysed and make an informed decision. In the vast majority of cases, using high-EBI bulls to breed more fertile cows, having cows in the right body condition score at breeding and using good heat detection will have a far greater impact on fertility than special ingredients in dairy nuts.
Clover: There’s little research into the best way to oversow clover but the following points might help to encourage good germination:
Do not oversow into a dense, thick sward as the clover seed will not get sunlight.If broadcasting either graze directly after sowing or roll after sowing.Spreading soiled water after sowing will help to create seed to soil contact.A ring roller will probably be more effective in an established sward than a flat roller. Sow at a rate of 1.5 to 2kg/ac.If broadcasting with fertiliser, mix the seed with the fertiliser in the field.Try and avoid mixing seed with urea-based fertiliser as this could be toxic to the seedlings.Graze at low covers for the rest of the year. Read more
Protected urea - questions answered
€25m Glanbia dividend for farmers and co-op
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