After an excellent week weather-wise, growth rates are up to 63kg per day, almost 10kg/day higher than average. A break in the rain up until Wednesday night gave heavy soils in the north and west an opportunity to dry out and a resumption of field activities, but land is still very wet in much of this area.
Conditions are close to ideal over the rest of the country – with growth rates in the mid 60s and ground perfect. Interestingly, average soil temperatures are running 2°C to 3°C higher than normal at present at between 15°C and 18°C and this is definitely helping growth rates now and in the next few weeks.
However, the forecast for the weekend is bad, with big downpours forecast. Remember the basics – 12-hour grass allocations and on/off grazing where necessary. Even on dry land, the 12-hour break will be coming back into focus as pre-grazing yields are increasing and you cannot afford to trample grass when you should be slowing down the rotation and letting covers build up in front of the herd. The 12-hour wire needs discipline though, as it’s very easy to over- or under-allocate grass.
If feeding silage to build up covers, I would hold off feeding during the very wet days as feeding silage when ground conditions are poor is very messy – cows show little interest in grass and clean-out will be poor.
At this stage, rotation length should be around 25 to 30 days and average farm cover should be between 750 and 1,000kg/ha depending on stocking rate. Rotation length should be calculated as the area grazed per day divided into the total area available, not the time period since the last grazing in that paddock. So if you are grazing three acres per day of a 90-acre milking block then rotation length is 30 days.
Average growth rate 63kg per day.Forecast for the weekend is very poor, with heavy rain everywhere.Use a 12-hour block and on/off grazing if necessary.Rotation length should be between 25 and 30 days.Shane Leane, Teagasc Curtins Farm
Stocking rate (cows/ha): 2.96
Growth rate (kg/day): 71
Average farm cover (kg/ha): 905
Yield (l/cow/day): 16
Fat %: 5.2
Protein %: 3.89
Milk solids (kg/cow): 1.49
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day): 0.2
Growth rate rose again this week to 71kg per day. We are slightly above our target average farm cover so things are going well. We are not feeding any supplement and won’t have to for the next few weeks, I hope. We are spreading 15 units/acre of CAN plus sulphur everywhere this week. We have 250kg/ha of nitrogen spread to date so have no more nitrogen to spread. All slurry has been spread also, but the sprinkler system is spreading soiled water. Cows are grazing covers of 1,500kg and we are on 24-hour breaks. The grass wedge is nice and even.
Donal Patton, Teagasc Ballyhaise
Stocking rate (cows/ha): 2.78
Growth rate (kg/day): 57
Average farm cover (kg/ha): 828
Yield (l/cow/day): 15.6
Fat %: 4.54
Protein %: 3.73
Milk solids (kg/cow): 1.33
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day): 0.5
Ground conditions have dried up a lot over the past week and we managed to get some of the heavier ground grazed. The cover on this was higher than we would have liked because we couldn’t graze it when it was fit. We are using 12-hour wires to graze out the higher covers. We are following the cows with nitrogen but will blanket-spread what didn’t get spread this week with about 15 units/acre next week. I’m a bit disappointed with how the cows are milking – protein has been lagging behind all year but the herd is looking well so I don’t think it’s a feed issue.
Bryan Hynes, Clarinbridge, Galway
Stocking rate (cows/ha): 3.21
Growth rate (kg/day): 70
Average farm cover (kg/ha): 931
Yield (l/cow/day): 17.5
Fat %: 4.64
Protein %: 3.72
Milk Solids (kg/cow): 1.5
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day): 0
Last week’s growth was the lowest since early spring, with growth rates in the previous weeks of 96kg and 108kg. We averaged over 100kg growth/day for much of June so we have been busy taking out silage, which is a good complaint as fodder reserves are now replenished. As a result of all the surplus grass, farm cover is high and cows are grazing good-quality after-grass, which is really helping milk production. The plan is to blanket-spread the farm with about 40 units of urea/acre next week before the closing date and use soiled water after that.
Peter Hynes, Aherla, Co Cork
Stocking rate (cows/ha): 2.93
Growth rate (kg/day): 98
Average farm cover (kg/ha): 820
Yield (l/cow/day): 16.34
Fat %: 4.37
Protein %: 3.59
Milk solids (kg/cow): 1.34
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day): 0.4
Growth has been exceptional for the past few weeks. We have 16 acres to be baled for silage this morning. I have been spreading 18:6:12 for the last few rounds to build up soil fertility and it is really driving on grass growth. The plan is to blanket spread one bag/acre of Pasturesward next week. Cows are currently grazing a reseed of Aspect and it looks really dense for a tetraploid. I have 144kg of meal fed to date. I over-sowed 1.4kg/acre of clover into last autumn’s reseeds back in July and then coated the field with slurry and the take of clover seems to be good.
Read more
Grass+ Beef: Low-stocked farms must measure
After an excellent week weather-wise, growth rates are up to 63kg per day, almost 10kg/day higher than average. A break in the rain up until Wednesday night gave heavy soils in the north and west an opportunity to dry out and a resumption of field activities, but land is still very wet in much of this area.
Conditions are close to ideal over the rest of the country – with growth rates in the mid 60s and ground perfect. Interestingly, average soil temperatures are running 2°C to 3°C higher than normal at present at between 15°C and 18°C and this is definitely helping growth rates now and in the next few weeks.
However, the forecast for the weekend is bad, with big downpours forecast. Remember the basics – 12-hour grass allocations and on/off grazing where necessary. Even on dry land, the 12-hour break will be coming back into focus as pre-grazing yields are increasing and you cannot afford to trample grass when you should be slowing down the rotation and letting covers build up in front of the herd. The 12-hour wire needs discipline though, as it’s very easy to over- or under-allocate grass.
If feeding silage to build up covers, I would hold off feeding during the very wet days as feeding silage when ground conditions are poor is very messy – cows show little interest in grass and clean-out will be poor.
At this stage, rotation length should be around 25 to 30 days and average farm cover should be between 750 and 1,000kg/ha depending on stocking rate. Rotation length should be calculated as the area grazed per day divided into the total area available, not the time period since the last grazing in that paddock. So if you are grazing three acres per day of a 90-acre milking block then rotation length is 30 days.
Average growth rate 63kg per day.Forecast for the weekend is very poor, with heavy rain everywhere.Use a 12-hour block and on/off grazing if necessary.Rotation length should be between 25 and 30 days.Shane Leane, Teagasc Curtins Farm
Stocking rate (cows/ha): 2.96
Growth rate (kg/day): 71
Average farm cover (kg/ha): 905
Yield (l/cow/day): 16
Fat %: 5.2
Protein %: 3.89
Milk solids (kg/cow): 1.49
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day): 0.2
Growth rate rose again this week to 71kg per day. We are slightly above our target average farm cover so things are going well. We are not feeding any supplement and won’t have to for the next few weeks, I hope. We are spreading 15 units/acre of CAN plus sulphur everywhere this week. We have 250kg/ha of nitrogen spread to date so have no more nitrogen to spread. All slurry has been spread also, but the sprinkler system is spreading soiled water. Cows are grazing covers of 1,500kg and we are on 24-hour breaks. The grass wedge is nice and even.
Donal Patton, Teagasc Ballyhaise
Stocking rate (cows/ha): 2.78
Growth rate (kg/day): 57
Average farm cover (kg/ha): 828
Yield (l/cow/day): 15.6
Fat %: 4.54
Protein %: 3.73
Milk solids (kg/cow): 1.33
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day): 0.5
Ground conditions have dried up a lot over the past week and we managed to get some of the heavier ground grazed. The cover on this was higher than we would have liked because we couldn’t graze it when it was fit. We are using 12-hour wires to graze out the higher covers. We are following the cows with nitrogen but will blanket-spread what didn’t get spread this week with about 15 units/acre next week. I’m a bit disappointed with how the cows are milking – protein has been lagging behind all year but the herd is looking well so I don’t think it’s a feed issue.
Bryan Hynes, Clarinbridge, Galway
Stocking rate (cows/ha): 3.21
Growth rate (kg/day): 70
Average farm cover (kg/ha): 931
Yield (l/cow/day): 17.5
Fat %: 4.64
Protein %: 3.72
Milk Solids (kg/cow): 1.5
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day): 0
Last week’s growth was the lowest since early spring, with growth rates in the previous weeks of 96kg and 108kg. We averaged over 100kg growth/day for much of June so we have been busy taking out silage, which is a good complaint as fodder reserves are now replenished. As a result of all the surplus grass, farm cover is high and cows are grazing good-quality after-grass, which is really helping milk production. The plan is to blanket-spread the farm with about 40 units of urea/acre next week before the closing date and use soiled water after that.
Peter Hynes, Aherla, Co Cork
Stocking rate (cows/ha): 2.93
Growth rate (kg/day): 98
Average farm cover (kg/ha): 820
Yield (l/cow/day): 16.34
Fat %: 4.37
Protein %: 3.59
Milk solids (kg/cow): 1.34
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day): 0.4
Growth has been exceptional for the past few weeks. We have 16 acres to be baled for silage this morning. I have been spreading 18:6:12 for the last few rounds to build up soil fertility and it is really driving on grass growth. The plan is to blanket spread one bag/acre of Pasturesward next week. Cows are currently grazing a reseed of Aspect and it looks really dense for a tetraploid. I have 144kg of meal fed to date. I over-sowed 1.4kg/acre of clover into last autumn’s reseeds back in July and then coated the field with slurry and the take of clover seems to be good.
Read more
Grass+ Beef: Low-stocked farms must measure
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