Dairy Cattle - Grass and Feeding

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Grass+ Dairy: dry spell starting to hit growth rates
Martin Merrick
With little to no rain over the weekend and nothing promised for the week ahead, growth and farm cover could be pinched, writes Thomas Condon.
Grass+ Dairy: dry spell starting to hit growth rates
The Grass Week: weekend rain should help hold growth
10 May 2025 Grass & feeding
The Grass Week: weekend rain should help hold growth
Depending on the level of rainfall that falls locally, growth should hold its own in the next week to 10 days.
How much ration to feed this summer?
7 May 2025 Grass & feeding
How much ration to feed this summer?
Aidan Brennan looks at the economics of feeding meal to dairy cows this summer and explains why good grassland management is key.
Grass+ Dairy: the boom is back in relation to growth rates
The main focus now should be on maintaining the right pre-grazing covers over the next few rotations – ideally between 1,300 and 1,450 kg DM/ha, writes Thomas Condon.
7 May 2025 Grass & feeding
The Grass Week: bumper week for grass growth ahead as magic day happens
The forecast of warm dry weather, combined with recent rainfall, looks set to push grass growth levels up a gear over the bank holiday weekend and into next week.
3 May 2025 Grass & feeding
Q&A on new clover requirements in grass reseeds
All perennial rye grass-based reseeds must now incorporate at least 1.5kg/ha of naked clover seed or at least 2.5kg/ha of pelleted clover seed.
3 May 2025 Grass & feeding
How much nitrogen to spread this summer?
Aidan Brennan looks at ways to grow more grass this summer by making best use of nitrogen and clover.
30 April 2025 Grass & feeding
Grass+ Dairy: bumper week of grass growth expected
Attention must switch from cover per ha to cover per lu to get a proper grip on grass stocks on farm, writes Thomas Condon.
30 April 2025 Grass & feeding
The Grass Week: variable grazing conditions as heavy rainfall hits some
Grass growth is on par with normal, but some have found less favourable grazing conditions over the past week or ten days.
26 April 2025 Grass & feeding
Power of reseeding evident in Kilkenny
Kilkenny farmer Pat Dillon reseeds 10% of the grazing block each year and gets the benefit in terms of grass growth and milk solids writes Aidan Brennan.
23 April 2025 Grass & feeding
Grass+ Dairy: Rain has greened up many areas
Rain and a rise in soil temperature is pushing growth across the country, which is where more frequent grass measuring needs to come in, writes Thomas Condon.
23 April 2025 Grass & feeding
The Grass Week: critical time for grass management
Fluctuating growth rates are having opposite effects on farms, with some still tight for grass while others will need to take out surplus.
19 April 2025 Grass & feeding