The majority (60%) of Tullamore Farm is situated on free-draining soil and it this area of the farm that is under the most pressure in terms of grass supply.

The low-lying areas are currently closed for silage and have been performing well. Grass growth dropped to 28kg this week, down from 57kg DM/ha last week. Growth has been dropping for the past three weeks.

Demand is 38kg DM/ha/day and the farm is currently stocked at 2,170kg DM/ha. This drop in growth, coupled with a forecast for no rain in the next few days, has triggered a number of actions

Silage Feeding

While there is still 11 days grass ahead of stock, it was decided to go in with silage to both groups of cows and heifers late last week. Silage bales that were made on 18 May are being fed in round feeders in paddocks to slow the rotation down.

This silage is of high quality and was going to be kept for feeding weanlings over the winter months, but now has to be fed to cows.

Calves are moving under fences into the next paddock and grazing there, but grass quality has deteriorated in the last week, with some heavy covers being grazed.

Calves are also being creep fed 2kg to 3kg of concentrates in troughs in the adjacent paddocks to cows.

Calf daily liveweight gains have been good up to this point, but calf growth will take a check as a result of this stress period.

Cow milk yield will drop back and as calves increase the proportion of grazed grass in their diet, grass quality on the farm is less than ideal to achieve high liveweight gains.

No topping or baling has taken place in the past two weeks as regrowth would be too slow. Fertiliser spreading has also ceased, with the last fertiliser being spread two weeks ago.

With no moisture, the fear was that this nitrogen would be lost to the atmosphere. Two hectares of second-cut silage will also be grazed this week in a bid to further extend the grazing rotation.

Costs

Increased costs are being incurred as a result of current conditions. Five bales of silage are being fed daily at a cost of €25/bale. Three kilogrammes of concentrates are being fed daily to 60 store heifers and 2kg/day are being fed to calves. Total extra costs are €215/day or €1,505/week.

Reseed delay

There are currently 8ha sprayed off for reseeding. This will be sown as soon as rain is forecast. The loss of this grazing land has added more pressure to the grazing block, as grass is not growing here and it is currently being used to stand off cows being fed silage.

A further three hectares was reseeded on 25 May. Grass has struck in the heavy areas of the field. However, 70% of the field has not struck. When rain returns, we will make a call on what to do, but it could mean reseeding 70% of the field again.

Meal feeding with dairy beef heifers

There are currently 65 dairy-cross beef heifers grazing 9ha. This group has five days grass ahead and grass growth on this block has dropped back to 20kg DM/ha/day over the past seven days.

These heifers have started concentrate feeding in a bid to slow the rotation down, along with silage feeding.

It was planned to start concentrate feeding with the heaviest of these heifers in early July anyway. The lighter heifers will be taken back off meal once rain returns and normal grass growth resumes.

Ewes being weaned

Lambs are now 12 to 13 weeks old and the decision has been taken to wean all lambs and start to creep feed them on some aftergrass. Ewes will be closed on bare paddocks over the next week to allow them dry off to prevent mastitis.

Health Issues

During the last period of very hot weather in early June, a pneumonia outbreak on the farm led to two calves being lost. Calves were vaccinated as a result of this and no there have been no further health issues.

Water system and supply

The farm is serviced by two public water systems. We have an issue with some of the water troughs at the furthest point of the farm.

The pressure has fallen in recent days and farm manager Shaun Diver is supplementing this group of stock with an IBC tank full of water on a daily basis.

A new water system was installed last year which consisted of 32mm water pipe and 200-gallon concrete water troughs.

Stock are being herded on a regular basis and any work that needs to be completed, such as weighing or moving stock, is being left until the evenings, when temperatures are cooler.

People working on the farm are taking precautions against sunburn and sunstroke and are drinking plenty of water during the day.

Common questions

Question: How soon can I feed round bales of silage after making them?

Answer: Silage needs to ferment before feeding, so it’s best to leave it four weeks to allow the silage become stable. Feeding bales from two weeks can take place if there are no other options available.

Question: How much water is required for different classes of stock on a daily basis?

Answer: Teagasc guidlelines recommend that suckler cows need up to 90 litres/day, weanlings need 20 to 25 litres/day, finishing cattle need 35 to 60 litres/day (depending on weight), and animals on ad-lib meals need up to 70 litres/day.

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