The recent turn around in weather conditions have been a godsend to farmers who were looking more and more at the possibility of a long winter period ahead of them. While some farmers were forced to house temporarily last week, nearly all these have returned to grass with the improved grazing conditions.

Pasturbase Ireland has reported a jump from 808kg DM/ha to 849kg DM/ha for average farm covers on dairy farms, though there still is a portion of farms (18%) that are well behind target, with average farm covers below 700kg DM/ha. Heavy supplementation, possibly housing cows at night to reduce demand, will be required to help build cover up. At this stage, nutrient application in limited.

Watery slurry or dairy washings should be targeted on recently grazed paddocks to try and get these green and growing again quickly.

ADVERTISEMENT

With the improved grazing conditions, residuals need to be nailed, as there is a strong possibility that the next round of grazing could be as tough as two weeks ago weather wise. If a mat of old grass remains in this round, it will be virtually impossible to get this grazed off in the next round.

Grass supplies

Most farms are still growing ahead of demand, with the amount that it is growing depending on how high farm cover and demand is.

As growth drops, demand will soon surpass it, meaning cover can not be built up. Where there is a need to build cover and supplementation isn’t doing the trick, then removing animals from the herd (empty, high SCC) should be explored to try and keep milking cows out at grass for longer.