Weather

The mild weather over the last few weeks is a real boost to grass growth. Soil temperatures are between three and five degrees higher than normal, so we are still seeing good grass growth throughout December. This is like cash in the bank, provided we can withdraw it when we want to in February and March. It’s a good idea to do a grass walk now and get the cumulative grass growth rate per paddock for 2018. Paddocks can be ranked according to total growth. Ask yourself why are some paddocks growing more than others? Is it to do with drainage, grass varieties, soil fertility or the amount of fertiliser applied. Getting the low paddocks up to the average will make a huge difference to the total tonnage of feed grown on the farm. Reseeding should be considered once drainage and soil fertility is fixed.

Inputs

Now is the time when most farmers start looking at buying the inputs for the spring. The big cost items are fertiliser, meal and to a lesser extent milk replacer. It’s hard to know where fertiliser prices are going as energy prices are falling, but fertiliser prices for new product have been rising for the past six weeks. Those that forward bought fertiliser in November and December definitely secured better prices than what’s available now. I’m hearing of urea currently being in the region of €365 to €375/t. When doing a deal, price is one thing but delivery date and when it’s to be paid for is another story. The opening date for spreading nitrogen is 15 January. If the weather stays mild then most farmers should be getting nitrogen out, so make sure there will be some in the yard.

The later the fertiliser can be paid for, without affecting price, the better. Look for payment dates past April, when the milk cheques will be bigger, if possible. Meal prices are steadier and haven’t changed much since last autumn. When buying meal you should be looking at price and spec. Most people consider protein percentage as an indicator of quality, but it’s not the only indicator. Energy (UFL or MJ/kgDM) is a much better indicator of quality. High protein rations are important when cows are inside, but much less important when cows are out grazing, if even for a few hours. The point is, not to get too hung up on protein percentage once there’s a fair chance cows will be out grazing. A protein level of 14 to 16% is sufficient in this case. The UFL level in ration should be 0.95 and above.

Conferences

Conference season is well and truly upon us, with a lot of events and seminars coming up. Animal Health Ireland are hosting calf care events across the country starting next week in Mitchelstown. The Irish Grassland Association dairy conference is on 9 January in Charleville, Co Cork. A once a day milking seminar is on in Horse and Jockey, Tipperary on 15 January. The Positive Farmers Conference is on 16 and 17 January in Cork. Teagasc are holding a series of grass focused farm walks starting in late January and the Irish Farmers Journal are commencing grass management courses in January also.

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