Newford Farm, the 100-cow suckler-to-beef demonstration herd in Athenry, Co Galway, is entering the final stages of the calving season.

There are 102 cows calved, with 100 live calves on the ground. This includes four sets of twins, leaving mortality running at six calves (two calves died after birth, two still births, one died in utero and one was lost to pneumonia).

Weather

The recent upturn in weather has allowed more cows and calves to be turned out over the last week, with 85 cows and 87 calves now at grass. Ground conditions have improved significantly which is aiding utilisation and allowing a good clean-out.

Temporary fencing is being used to split paddocks and a balance is being achieved between grazing out swards and maintaining performance. Cows have access to high-mag buckets to guard against tetany.

Grazing conditions have been excellent to date, with temporary electric fencing used to improve utilisation.

Grass growth

There are also 104 yearlings at grass and priority is being given to grazing off heavy covers. Grass growth rates are running at twice the level compared to the corresponding period in 2018, with this week’s growth recorded between 37kg DM/ha and 45kg DM/ha, as detailed in Table 1.

There are no cattle grazing the Gort na Habhainn land block at present, but heifers will be turned back to this area this week while a batch of cows and calves may also be transferred temporarily to graze through some heavier covers.