Warm weather and rain at the weekend have meant another week of very strong growth on Tullamore Farm. Some of the paddocks that were taken out as surplus bales two weeks ago grew over 100kg/DM/ha/day over the past week and some of them will be ready to graze again after 14 days' growth.

The average growth for the week was 160kg/DM/ha with demand running at 45kg/DM/ha. Slurry was applied to these paddocks at the rate of 2,000 gallons/ac after baling. Average farm cover remains high at 1,004kg/DM/ha but pit silage is planned for next week and some of the stronger paddocks will be cut and brought in with this main crop silage.

Any paddock that has silage removed is being spread with a bag/acre of 18:6:12 to replace P and K off take. Grazed paddocks have been getting 27.5 units/CAN/acre plus sulphur but with grass supply running ahead of demand the next round will be skipped.

The plan is to mow and pick up 50 acres of silage next week if the weather allows.

Weights

Under 16-month bulls are due to be weighed next week. Dairy heifers weighed 315kg last week. This is about 50kg behind where they should be but it was expected given the very difficult spring these heifers endured while grazing kale. It is hoped that they will make up some of this weight loss during the grazing season.

Grass samples were sent away for trace element analysis last week and some of them back very low in copper. This is on top of blood samples taken that were low in copper as well. Based on the results and given the history of the farm, we will bolus these grazing heifers at the next opportunity.

Breeding

Breeding has slowed up somewhat with 60 out of 75 cows available for AI served. Any cows that not in heat by next week will be scanned to determine why thy have not been in heat.Thirteen of the 15 heifers were artificially inseminated before the Aberdeen Angus bull was turned out to clean up. Ten later-calving cows are running with the Limousin bull.

Conception rates to AI are over 70% to first service in 42 cows bred in first three weeks of the breeding season. Lambs received their first dose last week and ewes have been sheared.