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Weather: March is the month of many weathers. Any change from the near constant rain in February will be welcome. Up to now, keeping cows in the shed was probably the right decision on most farms. Days are getting longer, leading to better drying conditions. Walk your driest fields to see if they’re fit for grazing. Stick your heel into the ground. If you’re leaving a mark then it’s not suitable for grazing and you either need to find a drier field or leave them in the shed. Keep at this until you can turn out to grass.
There is a dividend from early spring grazing. The first is reduced workload when cows are out – no silage to be fed or cubicles to be cleaned. The second is reduced feed costs when cows are out. The third is higher milk yield and composition when grass is in the diet.
The thing is, while there’s a dividend from early spring grazing, there is also a penalty for not grazing in early spring. That penalty will come in the form of reduced milk price next May and June due to grazing covers that are too high which reduces fat and protein percentages and milk volume.
The challenge for the next two months will be to manage the inevitable grass surpluses and minimise deficits. Silage will be cut in April.
Stock: March is also the month for problems, particularly with calves, but also cows. Keeping calves healthy is a function of housing and feeding. There’s a whole load of recommendations around calf housing in terms of air inlet and air outlet sizes. It’s all a bit academic at this stage. The key is not to overstock sheds. Older calves will need about 2m2 of lying space per calf. A buildup of old bedding will lead to a build-up of ammonia, so it’s better to clean out the bedding and apply fresh stuff fairly often.
Be wary of feeding high levels of milk or milk replacer. There are no prizes for having super-big calves. What you want is healthy, thriving calves that are eating solids. Put older calves on once-a-day milk feeding. Milk constituents are usually high in February, but drop in March, so watch this if feeding whole milk. Compare milk replacer and whole milk on a solids basis. Add fat, protein and lactose levels in milk and compare it to the ratio of powder per litre of milk replacer. Three cow related issues – retained cleanings, LDAs and mastitis – are featured in this week's Animal Health Focus. Remember to look after your own health in March. Many farmers get through February on adrenaline, but then crash in March. Get into a sustainable routine and prioritise time off away from the farm, if even for a few hours a few times per week.
Fertiliser: Farmers who have no nitrogen spread to date should be watching the forecast like hawks and be prepared to go when they can. Every day missed is costing you money as you’ll grow less grass in March and April. I’d spread everywhere, even high covers because you need a super-fast recovery on all grazed fields in March in order to have enough grass back for April grazing. Where no nitrogen was spread, one bag/acre of urea is recommended.
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