While the last seven days have been close to ideal conditions to extend autumn grazing, most herds are now moving indoors at night to stretch remaining grass supply.
Even though keeping grazed grass in the diet improves herd performance and reduces workload, protecting the overall farm cover and having extra grass on the farm will be far more beneficial next spring.
For those farms lucky enough to have some remaining higher pre-grazing yields (greater than 1,800kgDM/ha), these covers will be strip grazed by day to stretch out grass supply for another week or so. The forecast is for mostly dry and clear conditions for the rest of this week, so ground conditions should still be good enough to allow these higher covers to be utilised efficiently.
Continue to measure grass supply weekly while grazing continues, as farm cover will fall sharply as heavy covers are removed.
For those herds continuing to graze, the target should be to match demand to growth so that the average farm cover remains at 750kgDM/ha at the end of November.
While we have been experiencing better over-winter growth rates in recent years, there is no certainty that this will happen again this winter so sticking to the target grass budget is critical. Grass growth rates are now similar to normal for mid-November, so it is unlikely that growth for the next month will exceed long term average values.
If herds are being housed fully this week, overall farm cover can be reduced to 650kg DM/ha now, as these farms will still be back to the same overall cover by the end of the month.
On heavier soils, regardless of grass supply, animals will have to be housed now to avoid poaching damage. It has been a fantastic autumn on all farms, and even with the extended autumn there is still adequate grass on most farms for spring.
Any drier paddocks with good covers on heavier soils should also be left for freshly calved cows next spring even though current ground conditions are good.
Denis O’Donovan – Rosscarbery, Co Cork
We still have pre-grazing yields of 2,000kgDM/ha and will continue to graze these by day from now on.
The herd are in by night on silage and the remaining grazing paddocks have high clover contents. These will be skinned out over the next week when grazing conditions are good.
We will close up the farm with an average cover of 500kgDM/ha on 1 December and usually get a winter growth rate of 7kgDM/ha/day. We still aim to have an opening cover of 900kgDM/ha by 1 February.
We will grow 12TDM/ha this year overall on 152kg chemical N/ha and with some paddocks getting no chemical N.
Stocking rate (LU/ha) 3.5
Growth (kg/ha) 21
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 658
Yield (l/cow) 12.5
Fat (%) 5.52
Protein (%) 4.19
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.2
Concentrates (kg/cow) 3.0
Billy Curtin – Waterfall, Co Cork
This has definitely been one of the best autumns we have experienced. We are finished grazing for the last five days, leaving the remaining grass for next spring.
Having enough grass for spring is essential for me and I’d rather be looking at it than looking for it. We hope to have an average farm cover of 800kgDM/ha on 1 December.
We normally grow 3-5kgDM/ha/day during winter to have 1,100kgDM/ha on the farm on 1 February. We grazed off any remaining heavy covers last week.
We also body condition scored the herd last Friday and 8% are under 2.75. We will dry these off with the first calvers this week.
Stocking rate (LU/ha) 2.6
Growth (kg/ha) 18
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 648
Yield (l/cow) 11.0
Fat (%) 5.65
Protein (%) 4.35
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.1
Concentrates (kg/cow) 2.0
Eoin McGrath – Teagasc Curtins, Co Cork
Grazing conditions are still super here and the cows have been out full time up to last night.
Grass supply has dropped quickly and our growth rates are now lower than normal.
Pre-grazing yields are 1,600kgDM/ha, but we only have two paddocks left with such high covers. These will give us another week of grazing by day. Post grazing residuals are 3.5cm. We aim to close up with an average farm cover of 725kgDM/ha on 1 December. We’re aiming to commence calving with 1,000kgDM/ha.
The herd are in good body condition and we will start drying off young cows this week. We will grow 11.5TDM/ha overall this year.
Stocking rate (LU/ha) 2.5
Growth (kg/ha) 8
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 630
Yield (l/cow) 10.6
Fat (%) 6.22
Protein (%) 4.78
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.2
Concentrates (kg/cow) 3.0
