At last Monday’s meeting, just 22% of the farmers in this dairy discussion group were on target for grass. The mid-September target for average farm cover (AFC) is 1,100kg/ha. The average AFC for the group was 963kg/ha while the average stocking rate was 3.1 cows/ha, so the group as a whole was around 12% behind target.

This tells us that most farmers in the group will struggle to achieve the target AFC at peak of around 1,200kg/ha – something which is replicated nationally based on figures from PastureBase, which show that the average AFC on Irish farms is currently 888kg/ha.

A common reason given as to why AFC is behind target today is due to the bad weather in August, which delayed the cutting of surplus paddocks and second-cut silage from the milking platform. This reduced the area for grazing in August and because this ground was cut later than expected, there is less grass on this area now than planned.

Furthermore, on some heavier farms fertiliser spreading was delayed because of the bad weather, which has reduced growth rates since September. Average daily growth rate for the group is 63kg/day, but there is a big variation within the group of between 40kg/day and 100kg/day.

Some felt that grazing these high covers of 2,400kg/ha to 2,500kg/ha is too hard on cows

Not everyone in the group was in agreement that an average farm cover of 1,200kg/ha by the end of September was an appropriate target to have. Some felt that grazing these high covers of 2,400kg/ha to 2,500kg/ha is too hard on cows and reduces subsequent growth rates on those paddocks. This is a point raised by many farmers over the last few seasons. Certainly, on heavy soils, grazing high covers is a big challenge and one that they can do without.

However, on reasonably dry farms and on those with a reasonably high stocking rate, the decision is to either graze high covers, or put in supplement both in autumn and spring. I view the high peak cover as a necessary evil, whereby cows are wading through grass for a week or two in late September and early October. Doing this slows the rotation down to 40 days or more and buys the farm time to grow.

Without going into these high covers, the rotation length will remain at 30 to 35 days.

Yes, the quality of grass going into cows will be improved and the re-growths on these paddocks will be faster but in my view they won’t be fast enough to bridge the gap between growth and demand with the result that average farm cover will be depleted by mid- to late October.

Some were feeding up to 4kg of meal to reduce demand while others that were more seriously behind target were feeding meal and round-bale silage

Having a higher AFC at peak will not reduce grass demand, but it does increase the quantity of feed available which allows for a longer grazing season while at the same time closing up at a cover that allows for early spring turnout. Both of these measures reduce workload, reduce feed costs and increase animal performance – a triple whammy of benefits.

Discussion moved on to what to do for those behind target. Some were feeding up to 4kg of meal to reduce demand while others that were more seriously behind target were feeding meal and round-bale silage. The average level of meal being fed in the group was 2.2kg, with the range from 0kg to 4kg.

The feeling was that this is an important week to build up cover and if you are behind, putting in extra feed now, for three, four or five days will slow the round down sufficiently to let AFC build up.

Remember, the change in AFC is dependent on the difference between growth and demand. If growth rate is 60kg/day and demand is 50kg/day then the difference is 10kg/day. Over the space of a week, AFC will increase by 70kg/ha. But if growth and demand are the same then AFC will not change.

We can influence demand by using supplement or reducing cow numbers. Meal as a form of supplement has its limitations because it tends to increase overall intakes as opposed to substituting grass in the diet.

The point was made that AFC will also influence growth, whereby farms with a higher AFC will be growing more than those with a low AFC

The suggestion within the group was that those that are behind target should feed high-quality bale silage for a few days along with a few kilos of meal. It’s more important to put in feed now, when growth is good than to delay it until next month when growth is poor.

The point was made that AFC will also influence growth, whereby farms with a higher AFC will be growing more than those with a low AFC. This could be the difference of up to 10kg/day for a farm with a cover of 1,100kg/ha versus a farm with a cover of 850kg/ha. Grass grows grass at this time of year.

Cull cows

Some of the farmers in the group have already sold their cull cows. Prices ranged from €500 to €780 depending on age. The general consensus was that there is a good demand for cull cows currently, particularly younger cows who could be recycled.

Other farmers will keep them on the farm, milking them on as normal until housing in November and then put them on once-a-day milking along with 6kg of meal in the parlour and aim to have them slaughtered by end of December.

The cost of feeding these cows for 50 or 60 days needs to be offset against the higher sale price for fat cows and the value of the milk that they produce while in the fattening period.

Feeding 6kg of meal for 60 days will cost €90/cow and feeding high-quality bale silage for the period will cost over €144/cow, bringing total feed costs to €234/cow.

For most farmers, selling cull cows out of the parlour now will be a better option if AFC is behind target today

If these cows milked 12/l on average during the once-a-day milking period in November and December, and presuming milk price received is 36c/l, then the value of that milk would be €260. Milk price received will be heavily influenced by the percentage of solids. Other things to consider with this strategy is the labour and hassle associated with having a separate group of cows, the availability of grass and quality silage and the price of beef in mid-winter.

For most farmers, selling cull cows out of the parlour now will be a better option if AFC is behind target today.