More heavy rain again this week has really hampered grazing on livestock farms. How difficult it is all depends on soil type and how much rain is falling.

Dry land is holding up well, but heavier soils or where a lot more rain has fallen it’s becoming a bigger challenge. Many herds have been housed on either a full or part time basis.

Depending on weather and ground conditions, there could be an opportunity to get back out again, but this will be on a case-by-case basis.

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On drier ground there are two issues; ground conditions and grass availability. Grazing can be managed to avoid or at least reduce damage.

This involves 12 hour breaks and using on/off grazing where appropriate.

Use multiple access points to get into and out of paddocks and graze in square blocks rather than long, narrow strips.

Avoid grazing covers that are very high in wet weather as it’s much easier to graze and clean out a 1,300kg/ha pre-grazing yield compared to a 2,300kg/ha pre-grazing yield.

While the rain is problematic, the mild weather is really helping grass growth rates.

Average rates are 30kg/day, which is higher than normal for the time of year. Many farmers are reporting higher than normal regrowth on recently grazed paddocks.

This is partly bacause of the mild weather and partly because pre-grazing yields are that bit lower this autumn, which is helping with faster recovery.

Despite the higher than normal growth rates, some farmers are running out of grass quicker than they expected. In some cases the feed was removed too quickly after the rain in September and as a result average farm cover never went as high as it should have.

Housing cows by day or by night will dramatically reduce demand for grass. On large farms, or where feed space or cubicle space is tight, some farmers are keeping half the cows in and the other half out grazing but are alternating which half get grass and which half get silage.

How much meal to feed will depend on grass availability and silage quality. At this stage, 2-3kg per cow per day is as much as most should be feeding.

Sward watch

  • Grass growth rates are averaging 30kg per day and regrowth is much faster than normal.
  • Rainfall rates are very high and ground conditions are challenging on all farms but particularly on heavier soils.
  • Where herds are still out grazing, using 12 hour breaks, on/off grazing and grazing in square blocks rather than long narrow strips will help.
  • Where grass is getting tight consider housing by day or by night. Some large farms are keeping some herds in by day or night to limit pressure on paddocks.

    • Farmers

    Tim Crowley – Bandon, Co Cork

    Cows are on no silage at the minute with the high farm cover, and are grazing day and night on a 12-hour strip.

    We’ll continue to graze full time for the next 10 days or so, and will possibly have to house at night then due to ground conditions.

    Ground is starting to get tricky at the minute, so we are grazing heavy covers by day and lighter covers by night.

    Empty cows were off loaded in the past few weeks to reduce demand.

    Farm cover is holding steady at the minute, and it is likely that we’ll close up at a higher cover than normal of 700-800kg DM/ha, opening at somewhere between 1,100-1,200kg in the spring.

    Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 2.37

    Growth Rate (kg/day) 66

    Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 1,076

    Yield (l/cow) 16

    Fat % 4.88

    Protein% 4.16

    Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.49

    Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 4

    Simon Breen – Emly, Co Tipperary

    Cows are getting 12kg of grass and 4kg of silage alongside concentrates. We’re turning out cows for two four-hour grazing blocks after each milking, with cows having access to silage at night.

    Cows are turned out mid-morning, with the Batt latch set to let them walk back in to the collecting yard just before milking, with them returning back to a new strip of grass as they are being milked, coming back in at 8-9pm to the shed.

    We are awaiting a milk recording before starting to dry off cows. Heifers are calved since January due to synchronisation, so we are anxious to give them a rest period. Nearly half the herd are 1st and 2nd lactation cows.

    Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 2.37

    Growth Rate (kg/day) 33

    Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 740

    Yield (l/cow) 12.5

    Fat % 5.82

    Protein% 4.47

    Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.32

    Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3

    Barry Reilly – Teagasc Ballyhaise, Co Cavan

    We currently have 77% of the milking platform closed up for the winter. Cows are now in at night receiving silage.

    We are on target with our autumn rotation and ground has become sticky with all the rain, so we are not pushing grazing beyond what we need to.

    Some of the farm is under water from the heavy rain that fell at the weekend.

    The covers left to graze currently have 1,800kg DM/ha on them. Our residuals are now over 4.5cm as ground conditions have made it difficult to clean out covers.

    Empty cows will be sold at the end of the month to reduce demand.

    Stocking Rate (cows/ha) 2.3

    Growth Rate (kg/day) 33

    Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 800

    Yield (l/cow) 15.5

    Fat % 5.1

    Protein% 4.25

    Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.49

    Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3