The driest half of the farm received 2,000gal of slurry per acre approximately five weeks ago and the entire farm received 30 units of urea three weeks ago, but grass growth is very slow, almost non-existent.

I had some grass saved over the winter but my calves, which are creep grazing out of the shed during the day, have a lot of this grazed and a small batch of yearling heifers who are at grass for the past two weeks have grazed the rest.

Ground conditions at the minute are relatively poor due to last week’s rain and only the forecast for the incoming week is dry, I would probably rehouse the heifers.

However, they are not really doing a lot of damage, or at least they weren’t up until a couple of days ago and the next field they are moving to is drier. That, combined with hopefully a dry week, should leave me OK

Last resort

Housing these cattle will be an absolute last resort as I intend to sell them in four weeks and I want to try to get as much weight on them as possible. Also, cattle that have been at grass will usually demand a premium from a grass buyer as they should continue to thrive when moved to their new home, as opposed to cattle coming out of the shed which will take a while to start motoring.

I haven’t started to measure grass yet, as it’s far from a high priority at the minute, but farm cover is well below average for the time of year. Even if land dries up this week, I’m not sure how many more cattle I’ll be able to let out until I build a bit of grass.

It’s going to be a case of farmer helping farmer, neighbour helping neighbour, and no one should be afraid to ask for help

If I must keep all my cattle housed, I should be able to stretch the silage I have for another month, which will hopefully be enough, but there is no guarantee of that.

I scanned cows two weeks ago and stopped feeding meal to anything that was scanned in calf, but now I’m wondering if I should start feeding meal again, just to stretch my silage that little bit more.

Extra meal

Buying a bit of extra meal now will be simpler than having to buy silage in a month’s time.

The media is full of stories of the fodder shortage and of the supplies that are being imported to alleviate the situation. Farmers in the south of the country, who may be used to getting stock to grass in February or early March, have been badly hit.

Farmers in this part of the world, however, are well used to having stock in the shed until May and may be better prepared. That said, cattle have been in sheds up here since late August or early September, so lots of farmers are starting to come under pressure.

It’s a tough time physically, mentally and financially.

It’s going to be a case of farmer helping farmer, neighbour helping neighbour, and no one should be afraid to ask for help.

Three or four dry days with a bit of heat at this time of year can turn things inside out, so hopefully things will turn around soon.

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