Drought

On pages 28 and 29, we have expert opinion from New Zealand and Ireland on dealing with the drought. There is some contrast in opinion about post-grazing height but both experts are in agreement that grass shouldn’t be grazed any higher than 3.5cm (very well grazed). I think this is an important point. I see a lot of expensive grass left behind in fields. Why are cows getting fat in a drought? Why is milk yield not dropping like in a normal year? This means that cows are better fed now than normal, which shouldn’t be the case if feed is scarce. So the focus needs to be on removing as much grass dry matter from the fields as possible, without causing long-term damage to swards. This could occur where grass is grazed at the 1.5-leaf stage – probably unavoidable if in the third round of the drought. Where this is the case (particularly in the east coast), cows will have to be held up and moved to a sacrifice paddock. But what to feed them then? Lynaire Ryan says to ringfence winter feed and it’s hard to disagree. By eating into winter feed you are creating a new problem later in the year. But some winter feed will have to be fed, in the hope that some will be regained in the autumn. Gary Nolan pours cold water on some of this burst of growth, saying if the drought extends into September the kick will be less. Try to keep at least 50% of the silage required for winter. Consider culling cows, drying off low-yielders and going to once-a-day milking where necessary.

Growth

Looking at grass growth figures from Curtin’s Farm in 2006 – the last decent drought, there was a 40% reduction in growth in August, but an 18% increase in growth during September and October when compared with the average growth pattern in the 10 years that followed. That drought started in July and extended into August. The current drought has started earlier. The message is there will be a kick in growth after the drought for some, but not for all. It’s not just grass that needs to grow, youngstock need to perform also. In-calf heifers seem to be doing fine, even where grass quality looks poor. Calves are a bit more of a concern on some farms. You really need to split them up between those on target and those not. The target weight for most heifer calves now is around 160kg. Higher protein nuts may be required as stemmy grass is low in protein. Treat heifers with pour-on to prevent mastitis.

Keep positive

There is an awful lot of doom and gloom out there presently. We’re more familiar with wet weather than dry weather but both are challenging. But on the positives, the sun is shining and cows are happy, even if they have very little grass in the field or silage in the pit. Some people are fierce negative and want to bring everyone down to their level. These people should be avoided. Consider taking a break from social media also as it tends to be dominated by people with a negative outlook. Socialise and engage with people that are positive and open-minded – it does make a difference.