Grass growth rates are proving highly variable across farms, with some reporting strong growth exceeding 70kg DM/ha per day, while others are struggling with growth rates in the mid to low 30s. According to PastureBase 8% of farms are below average farm cover target and are growing 30% less grass as a result. These farmers will remain heavily reliant on supplementary feeding until they get their AFC back above the target of 600 kg DM/ha.
Both scenarios present unique challenges. For those with tight grass supplies, careful management is critical. Allocating a set amount of grass each day over the next two to three weeks, combined with supplementary feeding, will help in getting you back on track. Failing to act may leave farmers chasing their tail for weeks to come.
Meanwhile, higher growth rates aren’t without their drawbacks. One of the most common issues is overly high pre-grazing yields. From an animal performance perspective, excessive grass covers can be more detrimental than scarcity. Once pre-grazing covers exceed 1,500kg DM/ha, the sward tends to become stemmy, which offers little nutritional benefit and can negatively impact milk yield.
The ideal target is to turn cows into covers of 1,350 to 1,450kg DM/ha. However, achieving this can be difficult, particularly when stocking rates are high and land is being closed up for first-cut silage or reseeding.
Over the coming weeks, farmers should aim for a cover per livestock unit (C/LU) of 180–200kg DM/LU. For beef enterprises, this translates to maintaining 15 to 20 days of grass ahead. These benchmarks serve as useful indicators of whether current grass supplies are sufficient to meet weekly demand.
Sward Watch
Walking the farm at least once a week is essential for the next few weeks to ensure you stay ahead of any deficits or surplus that may present. Use cover per livestock unit or days ahead as the key determinant of grass availability over the coming weeks and months.Rotation length should be shortened to 25-30days for the second round. Go to 24 or 36 hour breaks if possible.
Grass growth rates are proving highly variable across farms, with some reporting strong growth exceeding 70kg DM/ha per day, while others are struggling with growth rates in the mid to low 30s. According to PastureBase 8% of farms are below average farm cover target and are growing 30% less grass as a result. These farmers will remain heavily reliant on supplementary feeding until they get their AFC back above the target of 600 kg DM/ha.
Both scenarios present unique challenges. For those with tight grass supplies, careful management is critical. Allocating a set amount of grass each day over the next two to three weeks, combined with supplementary feeding, will help in getting you back on track. Failing to act may leave farmers chasing their tail for weeks to come.
Meanwhile, higher growth rates aren’t without their drawbacks. One of the most common issues is overly high pre-grazing yields. From an animal performance perspective, excessive grass covers can be more detrimental than scarcity. Once pre-grazing covers exceed 1,500kg DM/ha, the sward tends to become stemmy, which offers little nutritional benefit and can negatively impact milk yield.
The ideal target is to turn cows into covers of 1,350 to 1,450kg DM/ha. However, achieving this can be difficult, particularly when stocking rates are high and land is being closed up for first-cut silage or reseeding.
Over the coming weeks, farmers should aim for a cover per livestock unit (C/LU) of 180–200kg DM/LU. For beef enterprises, this translates to maintaining 15 to 20 days of grass ahead. These benchmarks serve as useful indicators of whether current grass supplies are sufficient to meet weekly demand.
Sward Watch
Walking the farm at least once a week is essential for the next few weeks to ensure you stay ahead of any deficits or surplus that may present. Use cover per livestock unit or days ahead as the key determinant of grass availability over the coming weeks and months.Rotation length should be shortened to 25-30days for the second round. Go to 24 or 36 hour breaks if possible. 
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: