Weather

Last month was one of the wettest in years, with most places getting over 160mm of rain while parts of Cork got more than 230mm in the month.

Despite all the rain, most places are still behind regarding their long term average for rainfall, and the weather forecast suggests that it’s going to remain wetter than normal for another while.

The annoying thing is that grass growth rates and grass covers are higher than normal but land is now so wet that grazing is difficult at best, and impossible in many places.

The first thing to say is that there is no point in doing damage and if cows need to be housed now then so be it.

Most farmers will be milking on well into December anyway, so there should be an opportunity to get milking cows back out to grass again, if only for a few hours per day.

Housed cows will need good quality silage and a couple of kilos of meal to keep milk supply up. Feeding any more than 3kg of meal to late lactation cows is questionable, despite the milk price.

Many first lactation cows are coming to the end of their lactation now. It’s 12 weeks to 1 February so first calving cows due to calve in January or early February should be dried off in the next few weeks.

Silage stocks

After an earlier than planned housing date, thoughts are turning to silage stocks. Many farms in the southeast continue to be tight for silage, and housing this early won’t help.

One of the big lessons from the 2018/2019 fodder deficit was that early planning is essential and that other feeds can be used to bridge the gaps.

The first step is to know the fodder situation on your own farm. To calculate the amount of silage in a pit, measure the length x breadth x settled height in metres and divide by 1.35 to get tonnes equivalent.

Then multiply by the dry matter to get the tonnes dry matter. Pit silage will typically be around 20% to 24% dry matter.

Each dairy cow will need about 330kg dry matter per month, while a weanling heifer will need about 150kg of dry matter per month. Silage is available to be purchased and prices vary.

Value should be compared to palm kernel or equivalent. If palm kernel costs €300/t that’s approximately €330/t DM or 33c/kg DM.

If a round bale of silage costs €55/bale delivered and each bale has 200kg DM in it that’s 27.5c/kg DM. The key thing is to plan early because if silage is likely to run out, it could be easier to get extra now than next March.

Milk recording

As outlined on page 44, the clock is ticking for those looking to get good information on which cows can get teat sealer only at drying off. It’s a new departure for most farmers and it won’t be without its problems.

Setting a low threshold of 100,000 SCC or even less is a good starting point, as it means that these cows don’t have existing infections.

Hygiene at housing needs to be meticulous in order to prevent new infection. Damp, wet and warm conditions are ideal for bacterial growth, so dry beds and good ventilation are important for preventing mastitis.