Looking at this week’s Pasturebase Ireland figures, 30% of farmers measuring grass are behind target for the year.
The vast majority of these are concentrated in east and north Cork, south Tipperary, Waterford, and parts of south Leinster, all of which have already suffered in early summer with lack lustre growth due to moisture stress.
Heavy supplementation has gone in already on these farms and rather than digging them out of a hole, it seems to be just keeping them afloat.
By now, the rotation length should be extended to 28 days on these farms and a minimum 30 days from 1 September.
In simple terms, a 30ha farm should be allocating 1ha per day grazing. After this, you have to back calculate what additional feed needs to go in to cows.
Silage is available for sale and is relatively plentiful, but in the areas worst affected by a lack of growth, travel may be required to attain it.
The hope would be that the rainfall that is due to fall in the next week is the start of more normal weather conditions, and grass growth should rebound on these farms. In the meantime, the following options are available to farmers.
1. Continue supplementation + grass
Allocating grass as above is what many farmers will find them selves doing. Where there is plenty of bales made on farm, it is probably the best option. Another alternative is to zero graze in grass to cows from out blocks and rest paddocks around the yard to allow farm cover to build.
It’s a matter of short term pain for long term pain with this option. Even housing cows for one week may allow that rainfall to kick growth in to gear and get the farm back to where it needs to be. Supplementing heavily in the short term would hopefully prevent buffer feeding with silage etc. in the long term.
This is probably the most drastic of the actions, and probably the least recommended. However, if silage is unavailable, current beef prices might tempt some farmers to do the above. It will be very farm specific if this option is to make sense for you.
In any case, it is hoped that growth will rectify itself. In preparation for this, apply 20 units N/acre where rainfall is promised if nothing has been spread in recent weeks.
Looking at this week’s Pasturebase Ireland figures, 30% of farmers measuring grass are behind target for the year.
The vast majority of these are concentrated in east and north Cork, south Tipperary, Waterford, and parts of south Leinster, all of which have already suffered in early summer with lack lustre growth due to moisture stress.
Heavy supplementation has gone in already on these farms and rather than digging them out of a hole, it seems to be just keeping them afloat.
By now, the rotation length should be extended to 28 days on these farms and a minimum 30 days from 1 September.
In simple terms, a 30ha farm should be allocating 1ha per day grazing. After this, you have to back calculate what additional feed needs to go in to cows.
Silage is available for sale and is relatively plentiful, but in the areas worst affected by a lack of growth, travel may be required to attain it.
The hope would be that the rainfall that is due to fall in the next week is the start of more normal weather conditions, and grass growth should rebound on these farms. In the meantime, the following options are available to farmers.
1. Continue supplementation + grass
Allocating grass as above is what many farmers will find them selves doing. Where there is plenty of bales made on farm, it is probably the best option. Another alternative is to zero graze in grass to cows from out blocks and rest paddocks around the yard to allow farm cover to build.
It’s a matter of short term pain for long term pain with this option. Even housing cows for one week may allow that rainfall to kick growth in to gear and get the farm back to where it needs to be. Supplementing heavily in the short term would hopefully prevent buffer feeding with silage etc. in the long term.
This is probably the most drastic of the actions, and probably the least recommended. However, if silage is unavailable, current beef prices might tempt some farmers to do the above. It will be very farm specific if this option is to make sense for you.
In any case, it is hoped that growth will rectify itself. In preparation for this, apply 20 units N/acre where rainfall is promised if nothing has been spread in recent weeks.
SHARING OPTIONS