Grass growth for the past week is back to 38kg/day on average over the country. Soil temperatures are between two and three degrees higher than normal and this is driving grass growth. We would normally expect average grass growth rates to be down near 20kg/day for this week, so it’s a real bonus to be getting higher growth rates.
While there was a lot of rain last weekend, the weather has been dry since and more dry weather is forecast over most of the country for much of next week. It’s been a nearly perfect autumn for many farmers.
The main objective now is to get the farm set up for next spring. The most important thing is to have a high opening farm cover next February. For many farmers on dry land, this is a cover of between 900 and 1,100kg/ha.
Subtract what you will grow over the winter to find out your target closing cover. The range in winter growth is usually between zero and 5kg/day, depending on location and altitude. A growth of 3kg/day over 60 days means that you would grow 180kg over the winter. Therefore, closing cover on 1 December should be between 720 and 920kg/ha.
Many farmers are near this cover now, so they need to manage their demand carefully over the coming four or five weeks to prevent going below target at closing. This means measuring growth weekly and setting demand close to growth.
Utilisation
Where ground conditions are good, there’s no excuse for poor utilisation so every blade of grass should be utilised. Using 12-hour wires and back fencing will improve clean-outs and help to slow down the round length. Allocate grass based on what the cows are eating and keep a close eye on residuals. Covers on some farms are very high but it’s not a problem when ground conditions are good and the strip wire is used.
Average grass growth is excellent at 38kg/day and ground conditions are good in most places.Opening farm cover is critical. Calculate a grass budget to determine what you need to open at next spring.Measure growth weekly to determine growth and set demand accordingly.
Read more
Grass+: growth and ground conditions couldn’t be better
Grass growth for the past week is back to 38kg/day on average over the country. Soil temperatures are between two and three degrees higher than normal and this is driving grass growth. We would normally expect average grass growth rates to be down near 20kg/day for this week, so it’s a real bonus to be getting higher growth rates.
While there was a lot of rain last weekend, the weather has been dry since and more dry weather is forecast over most of the country for much of next week. It’s been a nearly perfect autumn for many farmers.
The main objective now is to get the farm set up for next spring. The most important thing is to have a high opening farm cover next February. For many farmers on dry land, this is a cover of between 900 and 1,100kg/ha.
Subtract what you will grow over the winter to find out your target closing cover. The range in winter growth is usually between zero and 5kg/day, depending on location and altitude. A growth of 3kg/day over 60 days means that you would grow 180kg over the winter. Therefore, closing cover on 1 December should be between 720 and 920kg/ha.
Many farmers are near this cover now, so they need to manage their demand carefully over the coming four or five weeks to prevent going below target at closing. This means measuring growth weekly and setting demand close to growth.
Utilisation
Where ground conditions are good, there’s no excuse for poor utilisation so every blade of grass should be utilised. Using 12-hour wires and back fencing will improve clean-outs and help to slow down the round length. Allocate grass based on what the cows are eating and keep a close eye on residuals. Covers on some farms are very high but it’s not a problem when ground conditions are good and the strip wire is used.
Average grass growth is excellent at 38kg/day and ground conditions are good in most places.Opening farm cover is critical. Calculate a grass budget to determine what you need to open at next spring.Measure growth weekly to determine growth and set demand accordingly.
Read more
Grass+: growth and ground conditions couldn’t be better
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