Tuesday was the longest day of the year and the extra-long daylight hours, along with ample heat and moisture, have led to exceptional growth rates on farms. While the average growth rate of 77kg per day for the third week in June is not unusual, the fact that it has come on the back of really strong growth rates over the last five weeks is unusual. Normally, we would expect to see growth rates tail off after two or three weeks of high growth.
This is good, but it presents a challenge for management. Grass is going to stem very quickly, even at low covers. The best cure for stem is to cut it and bale it. With the high growth rates, most farms have surplus and can afford to skip over paddocks. The triggers for deciding to skip over a paddock are if average farm cover is too high (greater than 180kg/cow) or if pre-grazing yield is greater than 1,600kg.
At this stage, paddocks for silage should be picked based on the quality of the grass as much as the quantity of the grass. In some cases, paddocks in the middle of the wedge are of poorer quality than paddocks in the top of the wedge.
I would be slow to intentionally let average farm cover per cow drop below 150kg unless you are certain that the paddocks for silage can be cut immediately, or you have good reason to presume that growth is going to stay higher than demand for the next while.
On fertiliser, the justification for spreading any more than 30 units/acre for the month is scant, especially when grass is growing so well. Some farmers find that low nitrogen rates during summer lead to increased stem as the grass gets stressed easier.
To counteract this you could close up a larger area of the farm for silage and run a higher stocking rate with more regular nitrogen application on the remainder.
Average growth rate of 77kg for the past week.Skip over strong paddocks and cut them out for silage.Keep average farm cover around 180kg per cow.Don’t spread any more than 30 units/acre of nitrogen.Steven Fitzgerald
Teagasc Curtins Farm
Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 3.34
Growth Rate (kg/day) 85
Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 609
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.65
Fat % 4.81
Protein % 3.62
Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.88
Supplement Fed (kg/cow/day) 0.2
Growth has recovered well after 40 mm of rainfall over the last two weeks and we are now growing 85kg per day. We are skipping over heavier aftergrass paddocks and running on an 18 day round to clean off the farm as heavier covers are now going to seed quickly. With a cover of 500kg on regrowth from the first cut we are confident of good growth rates for the next 10 days at least. We were feeding meal last week but we have reduced this back down to 0.2kg/day which basically just helps to get cows into the parlour. Minerals are in the water.
Fergal Coughlan
Teagasc Clonakilty
Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 3.47
Growth Rate (kg/day) 62
Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 583
Yield (l/cow/day) 23.2
Fat % 4.73
Protein % 3.64
Milk Solids (kg/cow) 2
Supplement Fed (kg/cow/day) 0
We are having an open day next Tuesday 28 June starting at 10:30. Visitors will get to see the different grass and clover treatments and see the cows. The percentage of clover in the swards is lower this year than other years at about 13%, we think it’s a reflection of the cold spring. But we are still getting production differences.
The cows on the clover treatments are milking 0.38kg milk solids more per day, the only difference being they are grazing swards with less clover.
No bloat oil has been used yet this year.
Donal Patton
Teagasc Ballyhaise
Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 3.75
Growth Rate (kg/day) 60
Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 521
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.84
Fat % 4.48
Protein % 3.51
Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.8
Supplement Fed (kg/cow/day) 1
Average growth rate this week is 60kg but there is a big variation within this, the paddocks cut for silage are only growing 30kg per day while the paddocks with good covers are growing closer to 90kg.
We put back in two paddocks that I had intended for silage because cover per cow had dropped to 125kg but with the two paddocks back in it is now 140kg per cow.
We let out the bulls last Thursday so the workload has decreased. Main job now is to focus on keeping good quality grass into the cows.
Danny & Patrick Cremin
Newcastlewest
Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 3.59
Growth Rate (kg/day) 72
Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 715
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.5
Fat % 4.24
Protein % 3.75
Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.77
Supplement Fed (kg/cow/day) 0
The last month has been really good for us with strong growth rates the whole way through. We got rain when we wanted it but the land here wouldn’t really dry up anyway. We split the first cut into two cuts and included some surplus paddocks into the pit when we were at it. We have our own wagon for silage so it worked out well. The bulls went out last week after six weeks of AI. Two cows hadn’t been inseminated. We are spreading about 20 units of nitrogen per acre every three weeks in a compound with P, K and selenium.
Tuesday was the longest day of the year and the extra-long daylight hours, along with ample heat and moisture, have led to exceptional growth rates on farms. While the average growth rate of 77kg per day for the third week in June is not unusual, the fact that it has come on the back of really strong growth rates over the last five weeks is unusual. Normally, we would expect to see growth rates tail off after two or three weeks of high growth.
This is good, but it presents a challenge for management. Grass is going to stem very quickly, even at low covers. The best cure for stem is to cut it and bale it. With the high growth rates, most farms have surplus and can afford to skip over paddocks. The triggers for deciding to skip over a paddock are if average farm cover is too high (greater than 180kg/cow) or if pre-grazing yield is greater than 1,600kg.
At this stage, paddocks for silage should be picked based on the quality of the grass as much as the quantity of the grass. In some cases, paddocks in the middle of the wedge are of poorer quality than paddocks in the top of the wedge.
I would be slow to intentionally let average farm cover per cow drop below 150kg unless you are certain that the paddocks for silage can be cut immediately, or you have good reason to presume that growth is going to stay higher than demand for the next while.
On fertiliser, the justification for spreading any more than 30 units/acre for the month is scant, especially when grass is growing so well. Some farmers find that low nitrogen rates during summer lead to increased stem as the grass gets stressed easier.
To counteract this you could close up a larger area of the farm for silage and run a higher stocking rate with more regular nitrogen application on the remainder.
Average growth rate of 77kg for the past week.Skip over strong paddocks and cut them out for silage.Keep average farm cover around 180kg per cow.Don’t spread any more than 30 units/acre of nitrogen.Steven Fitzgerald
Teagasc Curtins Farm
Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 3.34
Growth Rate (kg/day) 85
Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 609
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.65
Fat % 4.81
Protein % 3.62
Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.88
Supplement Fed (kg/cow/day) 0.2
Growth has recovered well after 40 mm of rainfall over the last two weeks and we are now growing 85kg per day. We are skipping over heavier aftergrass paddocks and running on an 18 day round to clean off the farm as heavier covers are now going to seed quickly. With a cover of 500kg on regrowth from the first cut we are confident of good growth rates for the next 10 days at least. We were feeding meal last week but we have reduced this back down to 0.2kg/day which basically just helps to get cows into the parlour. Minerals are in the water.
Fergal Coughlan
Teagasc Clonakilty
Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 3.47
Growth Rate (kg/day) 62
Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 583
Yield (l/cow/day) 23.2
Fat % 4.73
Protein % 3.64
Milk Solids (kg/cow) 2
Supplement Fed (kg/cow/day) 0
We are having an open day next Tuesday 28 June starting at 10:30. Visitors will get to see the different grass and clover treatments and see the cows. The percentage of clover in the swards is lower this year than other years at about 13%, we think it’s a reflection of the cold spring. But we are still getting production differences.
The cows on the clover treatments are milking 0.38kg milk solids more per day, the only difference being they are grazing swards with less clover.
No bloat oil has been used yet this year.
Donal Patton
Teagasc Ballyhaise
Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 3.75
Growth Rate (kg/day) 60
Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 521
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.84
Fat % 4.48
Protein % 3.51
Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.8
Supplement Fed (kg/cow/day) 1
Average growth rate this week is 60kg but there is a big variation within this, the paddocks cut for silage are only growing 30kg per day while the paddocks with good covers are growing closer to 90kg.
We put back in two paddocks that I had intended for silage because cover per cow had dropped to 125kg but with the two paddocks back in it is now 140kg per cow.
We let out the bulls last Thursday so the workload has decreased. Main job now is to focus on keeping good quality grass into the cows.
Danny & Patrick Cremin
Newcastlewest
Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 3.59
Growth Rate (kg/day) 72
Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 715
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.5
Fat % 4.24
Protein % 3.75
Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.77
Supplement Fed (kg/cow/day) 0
The last month has been really good for us with strong growth rates the whole way through. We got rain when we wanted it but the land here wouldn’t really dry up anyway. We split the first cut into two cuts and included some surplus paddocks into the pit when we were at it. We have our own wagon for silage so it worked out well. The bulls went out last week after six weeks of AI. Two cows hadn’t been inseminated. We are spreading about 20 units of nitrogen per acre every three weeks in a compound with P, K and selenium.
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