Silage: This week has seen the start of the main first-cut silage harvest across the country. The cold and wet spring has almost been forgotten about, but remember, many silage fields were closed later this year than normal. Depending on how much nitrogen was spread, some of this nitrogen could still be in the grass and it might inhibit fermentation. Normally, nitrogen is used up at a rate of two units per day in good growing conditions but with slower growth than normal in April, and exceptional growth in May it’s hard to know how much nitrogen was used up. If in doubt, get the grass tested before cutting. A good wilt will reduce the nitrogen content anyway. An acre of heavy first-cut silage (10t freshweight) will provide enough silage for about two cows over the winter. If thinking ahead to how much ground you need to close for second cut, an acre of heavy second cut (6t freshweight) will provide enough silage for about 1.2 cows over the winter. It goes without saying but keep safety in mind when doing silage as the risks quadruple.

Health: There are still reports coming in of cases of grass tetany. It seems to be more prevalent than normal and the cold nights of the past week certainly didn’t help. Farmers are saying it’s harder to get magnesium flakes for the water as many merchants no longer stock them or there is a delay in manufacture. But other options remain. Watch out for bloat too. It’s not just high-clover fields that you need to be careful of. The highest risk of bloat is when cows are moved into a new paddock of lush grass in the morning after a tight grazing the night before. If worried, put 15ml/cow of bloat oil or cooking oil into the water the night before.

I know some farmers who walk through the herd two or three hours after the cows go into a particularly lush paddock, just to check that there are no cows with bloat. We are approaching the time when those on the twice-yearly IBR vaccination programme are due to give their herd the second shot of the year. It’s probably better to hold off giving any vaccines until after the breeding season finishes.

Holiday: If you don’t plan for it, it definitely won’t happen. I know milk prices are low and cash is tight but it’s important to take a physical and mental break from the farm. This was one of the key messages from the Greenfield open day last week. Farm manager Tom Lyng says that he is fresher, brighter, works harder and makes better decisions after he comes back from a break away, whether it is a weekend off or a week’s holiday. It takes a bit of effort to plan a holiday, in terms of organising the workload on the farm and finding a place to go, both of which cost money – but it is money well spent as family time and time away from the farm is important.