The weather over the past week has really made a mockery out of calendar farming. The slurry spreading deadline has passed, but most farms are drier now than at any stage during the month of September.

The challenge now for farmers is to manage the last of the autumn grass and prepare cattle for housing. There is the temptation to continue grazing every blade of grass around the place, but all the advice points to saving this grass for the spring and getting stock out to grass early.

My particular challenge is managing the transition from grazing to housing and the change in diet from grass to silage, without affecting cow fertility and conception rates. With most of the autumn-calving herd now calved for more than 30 days, the aim is to get these calved cows back in calf as quickly as possible. Maiden heifers also must go through the same transition from grazing to housing.

This week will be the last week of grazing for the cows and heifers. Usually in and around the October bank holiday weekend, cattle are housed. Calendar farming at its best.

Once the clocks have changed and the evenings are dark leaving the day job, there is little comfort in searching around a dark field, to see if there are any cows on standing heat. Add to this my preference for artificial insemination of the early-calving cows and maiden heifers and you’ll see the advantages of having cattle inside from 1 November on.

Recording dates and tag numbers

Over the past month, I have been recording dates and tag numbers of heifers that are showing signs of heat. Cows showing signs of being in heat before the start of the breeding season are also recorded. This should help me pick up when cows and heifers are ready for serving and if I am in doubt, having the earlier date will confirm that it is time to call the AI technician.

This year’s AI bulls have been selected based on a high maternal index, ease of calving and how some bulls have performed for me in the past. I also like to use some straws from the Gene Ireland beef programme each year.

To date, I am very happy with this year’s crop of young calves who appear to be thriving well at grass with their dams. All calves have received their pneumonia vacation and are due to receive their first IBR vaccination. Cows have received a mineral bolus and I also intend to use a mineral bolus on maiden heifers once I have all gathered for housing.

Even with the mild weather and good ground conditions, I am sticking to my calendar farming housing plan.

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