Input prices

There’s a bit of flux in the world of input prices. Grain prices in Ireland have gone up, but global prices are still fairly static. A good US harvest is likely to keep maize and soya-based feeds competitively priced. If forward-buying rations for the winter, make sure to find out what ingredients are in it. Rations high in maize grain should be a lot cheaper this winter than rations high in barley or wheat. While we would all like to use as many native grains as possible, we can’t afford to overpay for rations, particularly when high-quality alternatives are available for a lot less money. On fertiliser, spot urea prices on the world market have risen by about $100/t (€86/t) since May. Most of this price increase has already been passed on to the Irish farmer but the expectation is there is more to come. The reasons for the increase in urea prices are less clear as natural gas prices have not increased by near as much. If the cash is there to forward-buy fertiliser for next year, then do so.

Grass

I’m not a huge fan of autumn rotation plans, but they can work in the absence of more valuable information such as average farm cover and growth rates. Because growth rates are running higher than normal, there is scope to start closing paddocks a few days or a week later than normal. The paddocks to be grazed first next spring shouldn’t be closed first as there will be too much grass on them. Graze the paddocks in the last two weeks of October that you want to graze first in spring. If following a rotation plan, you should aim to have 60% of the farm closed by 1 November.

Deaths

I’ve heard of a few cases of cows being found dead in the field in the past week. The immediate presumption is bloat, but it could be acute nitrate poisoning also. Bloat occurs when gases in the rumen are unable to be belched out because of a frothy layer on top of the rumen contents. This occurs when cows eat large quantities of digestible feeds such as clover or really lush grass. High-risk periods for bloat are when cows are hungry after a tight grazing and then go into a big field with lots of clover and lush grass which they gorge on. Control measures are 12-hour grass allocations to increase stem intake and introducing bloat oil to displace froth in the rumen. Nitrate poisoning is a different thing and not as common as bloat. It’s due to cows consuming grass very high in nitrates – an issue this autumn. Rumen microbes convert nitrate to nitrite and then to ammonia. But where excess nitrate is in the grass the rumen can’t cope and excess nitrate and nitrite get absorbed into the bloodstream. Nitrite displaces oxygen in the blood and in chronic cases, animals are starved of oxygen and end up dying. Nitrate levels in grass peak seven to 14 days after spreading nitrogen fertiliser. Weather conditions also have an effect – seemingly nitrates are higher on dull, cloudy and overcast days. Putting cows on 12-hour breaks is a control mechanism as nitrate intakes decrease when cows have to graze stem and leaf twice daily. Animals that die of nitrate poisoning will have dark blue/brown gums and blood.