Grass
Deciding on when to stop grazing is a little bit trickier than normal this year. Most farmers target an average farm cover of 700kg DM/ha on 1 December which, given a normal over-winter growth rate would equate to an opening average farm cover of 950kg to 1,000kg DM/ha on 1 February.
Most of the time the average farm cover will go below 700kg in early November, and when cows are housed fully, it increases over the last few weeks of November to reach the target.
With grass growth rates running higher than normal, there is an opportunity to graze for longer and still reach the target on 1 December. Farmers on dry land, with good soil fertility and good swards should budget for 10kg DM/ha/day of a growth rate in November.
This means that farm cover could go as low as 550kg DM/ha in mid-November and still reach the target. Some are now deciding to graze by day only to reduce the demand on grass and keep cows out for longer, as grazing conditions are good in most places and the forecast is good also.
It’s a good opportunity to keep grass in the diet for longer, as in most years ground conditions get the upper hand before grass targets are met.
Having said that, there’s a share of farms in more marginal soil types where cows are housed fully for the last few weeks, so the good conditions aren’t universal.
Soil fertility
The fundamentals of profitable dairying haven’t changed – utilise high quantities of grass by high EBI cows. Grass growth rates are back by between 1t and 2t DM/ha this year compared to last year, and last year wasn’t a good year.
September milk payments were higher than most farmers might have expected, and while cash is generally tight on farms, where there is surplus putting it into improving soil fertility will be a good use of funds.
In the past, higher nitrogen rates overcame a lot of soil fertility issues, but at lower N rates we need the soil, soil microbes and clover to work a lot harder.
One of the big lessons from recent years is that it’s very easy to talk about this, but much harder to implement it, and clover was extremely temperamental this season, leaving many farmers disappointed and short of pasture.
Of all the factors governing soil fertility, pH is the most important and often the most overlooked. With good ground conditions, it’s a great opportunity to get lime spread. Potash can also be spread now. Phosphorus can be also be purchased now, but it cannot be spread until next year.
Dairy Day
There are just three weeks to go before Dairy Day in Cork on 21 November. The full line up of sessions will be announced next week and also the first token for free entry to the event will be published in this column.
New Zealand dairy farmer Corrigan Sowman will be joined by Dutch dairy farmer Auko Sikkenga to discuss environmental regulations, milk prices, farm profit and changes at FrieslandCampina and Fonterra.
This is just one of over 20 sessions taking place, so there will be something for everyone at Dairy Day in Paírc Uí Chaoimh.
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