The first year of IFJ grassland training, in association with Macra Skillnets, came to an end and certificates were presented to those who completed the course at Dairy Day 2019. The courses, which started in January, brought farmers right through the grazing season.
Over 100 farmers attended the courses throughout the year, with 106 meetings held on 13 different host farmers across the country.
The objective of the course was to teach farmers all about grassland management, with a strong focus on how to measure grass, understand the figures and be able to make decisions based on them.
Host farms
We set up host farms centrally to the farmers around the country and met on those farms monthly.
Each day we met, farmers would each individually discuss their current grass situation on their own farms looking at grass growth and demand and discussing the different management decisions.
This gave a great picture of how grass was growing in the region and the different management approaches that other farmers where taking.
Having the courses on one farm for the year allowed the farmers to follow the grazing season the whole way through
Every day, this discussion was then followed by a grass walk where we would assess and measure the grass on the host farm. We would look at the graze-outs and where things were done well and/or where there was room for improvement.
Stephen Connolly discusses the Grassland course and presents certificates at Dairy Day 2019 / Philip Doyle
Having the courses on one farm for the year allowed the farmers to follow the grazing season the whole way through on that farm and see the management decisions being made and bring that back and put it into practise on their own farms.
After a grass walk was completed, we always came back to the farmyard where a projector and screen would be set up and the grass wedge from the walk would be looked at and analysed. Management decisions would then be discussed and a plan of action suggested for the farm.
Grass wedge
Farmers then had a chance to put up their own grass wedge that they would have completed the morning of the meeting or the day before. This is where the farmers got the real value out of the course, as they learned how to use the figure to make management decisions. As the course went on, the participants' confidence in making decisions really grew.
By seeing different scenarios and different decisions having to be made on other people’s farms, it really gave farmers a great bank of knowledge as to how to deal with different grass situations throughout the year.
Lunch would usually follow the grass management discussion, with sandwiches, tea and coffee provided.
To wrap up the day, we would always cover a specialised topic. These topics varied throughout the year, with the topic usually being relevant to the time of year. For example, setting up a simple fertiliser plan to grow more grass was looked at early on in the year, with silage quality being covered in May.
The farmers' views on the year
Gerry McGuire, Horse and Jockey, Thurles, Co Tipperary
“The grassland management course has given me the knowledge and the confidence to make key decisions in grass management on my farm throughout the year. By measuring on a weekly basis, I have built up a profile of each paddock and ultimately improving growth and utilisation of grass on the farm. With the reduction of meal from increased grass grown, I increased milk solids per cow on the farm. Matching stocking rate to grass growth, along with many other skills I learned on the course, are invaluable to drive profit on the farm into the future.”
PJ Ryan, Blueball, Co Offaly
“This year, I wanted to focus on grassland management on the farm and decided to do the IFJ grassland management course. Small adjustments like the use of spur roadways and back fencing meant a lot of extra days at grass on our farm this year. We have a dry farm and would always run tight of grass during a dry spell of weather in the summer and end up having to feed bales of silage. Walking the farm weekly helped us see grass growth slowing in advance and by upping concentrates that bit earlier we avoided feeding bales in the middle of the year.”
Niall Carey, Oola, Co Limerick
“I had no experience at using the Pasturebase software available before I started the course. However, this year I completed over 25 walks on Pasturebase and couldn’t see myself making grassland management decisions on the farm again without the software. I now understand the figures and can make decisions based on them, which has really help when it comes to managing grass. It also gave me a great insight into the grass I can grow on my farm and what stock I can carry.”
James Beresford, Dungarvan, Co Waterford
“Being the host farmer for the grassland course in Waterford was a great experience. We got huge value out of it on our farm. I learned how to manage grass through the year, when to build cover, when to take out paddocks and when to up the meal in the parlour. The group aspect was great, as we would have a great discussion each day they came to the farm. Knowing other farmers in the group were in a similar position with grass to myself meant we could talk to each other and discuss management decision in our WhatsApp group over the phone in between meetings which just gave me that extra confidence when making decisions on the farm.”
After the success of 2019, we are running the courses again in 2020 and are currently taking names of people interested. We are offering three courses this year.
The 10-day grassland management course, which will run very similar to this year’s courses.The advanced grassland management course, which was set up with a lot of this year’s participants wanting to stay on and keep improving their grassland management skills. It will look at more benchmarking and target-setting to improve grass grown and utilised on your farm. There are also opportunities for new members to join these groups once they are grass measuring currently and have a good understanding of grassland management.The third course we are offering is a three-day brush-up course. We will meet once in the spring, summer and autumn to help you brush up on your grassland management skills for the three different times of the year. During the three days, we will also look at Pasturebase and ensure that you know how to get the most out of the software available.To find out more and sign up for the grassland management courses for 2020, email sconnolly@farmersjournal.com or ring 087-669 6490. Alternatively, contact Aidan Brennan or Jack Kennedy to register your interest.
The first year of IFJ grassland training, in association with Macra Skillnets, came to an end and certificates were presented to those who completed the course at Dairy Day 2019. The courses, which started in January, brought farmers right through the grazing season.
Over 100 farmers attended the courses throughout the year, with 106 meetings held on 13 different host farmers across the country.
The objective of the course was to teach farmers all about grassland management, with a strong focus on how to measure grass, understand the figures and be able to make decisions based on them.
Host farms
We set up host farms centrally to the farmers around the country and met on those farms monthly.
Each day we met, farmers would each individually discuss their current grass situation on their own farms looking at grass growth and demand and discussing the different management decisions.
This gave a great picture of how grass was growing in the region and the different management approaches that other farmers where taking.
Having the courses on one farm for the year allowed the farmers to follow the grazing season the whole way through
Every day, this discussion was then followed by a grass walk where we would assess and measure the grass on the host farm. We would look at the graze-outs and where things were done well and/or where there was room for improvement.
Stephen Connolly discusses the Grassland course and presents certificates at Dairy Day 2019 / Philip Doyle
Having the courses on one farm for the year allowed the farmers to follow the grazing season the whole way through on that farm and see the management decisions being made and bring that back and put it into practise on their own farms.
After a grass walk was completed, we always came back to the farmyard where a projector and screen would be set up and the grass wedge from the walk would be looked at and analysed. Management decisions would then be discussed and a plan of action suggested for the farm.
Grass wedge
Farmers then had a chance to put up their own grass wedge that they would have completed the morning of the meeting or the day before. This is where the farmers got the real value out of the course, as they learned how to use the figure to make management decisions. As the course went on, the participants' confidence in making decisions really grew.
By seeing different scenarios and different decisions having to be made on other people’s farms, it really gave farmers a great bank of knowledge as to how to deal with different grass situations throughout the year.
Lunch would usually follow the grass management discussion, with sandwiches, tea and coffee provided.
To wrap up the day, we would always cover a specialised topic. These topics varied throughout the year, with the topic usually being relevant to the time of year. For example, setting up a simple fertiliser plan to grow more grass was looked at early on in the year, with silage quality being covered in May.
The farmers' views on the year
Gerry McGuire, Horse and Jockey, Thurles, Co Tipperary
“The grassland management course has given me the knowledge and the confidence to make key decisions in grass management on my farm throughout the year. By measuring on a weekly basis, I have built up a profile of each paddock and ultimately improving growth and utilisation of grass on the farm. With the reduction of meal from increased grass grown, I increased milk solids per cow on the farm. Matching stocking rate to grass growth, along with many other skills I learned on the course, are invaluable to drive profit on the farm into the future.”
PJ Ryan, Blueball, Co Offaly
“This year, I wanted to focus on grassland management on the farm and decided to do the IFJ grassland management course. Small adjustments like the use of spur roadways and back fencing meant a lot of extra days at grass on our farm this year. We have a dry farm and would always run tight of grass during a dry spell of weather in the summer and end up having to feed bales of silage. Walking the farm weekly helped us see grass growth slowing in advance and by upping concentrates that bit earlier we avoided feeding bales in the middle of the year.”
Niall Carey, Oola, Co Limerick
“I had no experience at using the Pasturebase software available before I started the course. However, this year I completed over 25 walks on Pasturebase and couldn’t see myself making grassland management decisions on the farm again without the software. I now understand the figures and can make decisions based on them, which has really help when it comes to managing grass. It also gave me a great insight into the grass I can grow on my farm and what stock I can carry.”
James Beresford, Dungarvan, Co Waterford
“Being the host farmer for the grassland course in Waterford was a great experience. We got huge value out of it on our farm. I learned how to manage grass through the year, when to build cover, when to take out paddocks and when to up the meal in the parlour. The group aspect was great, as we would have a great discussion each day they came to the farm. Knowing other farmers in the group were in a similar position with grass to myself meant we could talk to each other and discuss management decision in our WhatsApp group over the phone in between meetings which just gave me that extra confidence when making decisions on the farm.”
After the success of 2019, we are running the courses again in 2020 and are currently taking names of people interested. We are offering three courses this year.
The 10-day grassland management course, which will run very similar to this year’s courses.The advanced grassland management course, which was set up with a lot of this year’s participants wanting to stay on and keep improving their grassland management skills. It will look at more benchmarking and target-setting to improve grass grown and utilised on your farm. There are also opportunities for new members to join these groups once they are grass measuring currently and have a good understanding of grassland management.The third course we are offering is a three-day brush-up course. We will meet once in the spring, summer and autumn to help you brush up on your grassland management skills for the three different times of the year. During the three days, we will also look at Pasturebase and ensure that you know how to get the most out of the software available.To find out more and sign up for the grassland management courses for 2020, email sconnolly@farmersjournal.com or ring 087-669 6490. Alternatively, contact Aidan Brennan or Jack Kennedy to register your interest.
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