The blue skies and spring feel on Tuesday was just a teaser, as widespread heavy rain on Wednesday set everything back again. There’s no denying that it has been a hard spring – cold in February and cold and wet in March.
While soil temperatures have increased to about 6°C on average, mean growth rates are still only around 6kg/day. With more cold weather due to come in over the weekend, it looks like the low growth rates will continue for another while.
Grazing fatigue is setting in for some farmers. Many have been on/off grazing for six weeks. While it is demoralising, the payback will come in time. Remember the basics of using the back fence, grazing in square blocks, and only letting cows out when it is not raining, and bringing them in when it starts raining, or after three hours.
Some farmers successfully walk cows over grass, and then walk them back over the grass to get them back out. It’s a toss-up between doing that and using narrow cow tracks.
At this stage, average farm cover is more important than percentage grazed. You can’t let it drop below 500kg/ha. If this means putting in a lot of feed then so be it. It’s better to put in extra feed now than to deplete grass on the farm and hamper subsequent recovery. But it all depends on how much grass you have. See page 32 for details on an easy way to measure. Delaying the start of the second round is inevitable for most farmers. You need to delay it until such time as there is about 1,000kg to 1,200kg on the first paddock – probably in mid-April.
Farmers that have very little grazed so far can afford to graze away, if land is dry enough. Most of these farmers have high grass covers and they need to get them removed, or they will deteriorate further. They need to use it or lose it.
Grass growth is 5kg/day, one-third of the long-term average.Make sure average farm cover does not drop below 500kg/ha.Delay the start of the second round until mid-April to allow time for first grazed paddocks to catch up.
Teagasc Curtins Farm, Cork
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 5
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 516
Yield (l/cow/day) 23.8
Fat % 4.92
Protein % 3.42
Milk solids (kg/cow) 2
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 4m 4s
We have 50% of the farm grazed and 83% of the herd calved. Growth is very slow at 5kg per day, when we would be expecting it to be nearly 25kg/day. But we can only work with what we have.
Cows are going out for three or four hours in the evening and are then coming in for 4kg of silage. They are getting 8 or 9kg of grass and 4kg of meal. Area per day is reduced to 144sq m per cow and the plan is to stretch out the second round until 12 April. Pre-grazing yield is around 1,000kg/ha.
Teagasc Ballyhaise, Cavan
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 15
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 674
Yield (l/cow/day) 18.9
Fat % 5.13
Protein % 3.49
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.68
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
Things are going OK here. We have 28% of the farm grazed and 72% of the herd calved, 26 days after due date. Ground is only OK. Cows are out during the day, but come in after three hours of grazing at night. They get about 1kg of silage when they come in.
The urea spread a few weeks ago seems to be working as fields have got greener and growth is reasonable. We are going to go with one bag/acre of urea at the end of the week or early next week. Calving is going good, with the odd case of milk fever.
Derrinturn, Kildare
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 3
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 740
Yield (l/cow/day) 21
Fat % 5.00
Protein % 3.46
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.83
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 5m 5s
Farming at the moment is about toughing it out. We opened the farm at a high cover and that’s getting us through now. We grazed 40% of the farm in February but have really applied the brakes since then and have 48% grazed now. Cows are out on dry days only, and in by night regardless. They’re on 5kg of meal, 5kg of grass and about 5kg of silage at night. Grass has greened up a bit over the last few days but growth is still very slow. I have 46 units/acre of nitrogen out and will go with 10:10:20 whenever weather improves.
Craughwell
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 8.5
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 598
Yield (l/cow/day) 18
Fat % 4.7
Protein % 3.64
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.55
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 5m 5s
I’m running out of grass and dry ground but sure everyone is in the same position. The grass that was grazed in early February is beginning to come back. Cows are in good condition, which is the key thing really. I have 61% of the farm grazed now, but cows are in at night since last weekend to slow them down. I was planning to start the second round on 1 April, but this is put back to 5 April now. I think grass will take off when weather changes as it has got loads of fertiliser and slurry. I’m going to spread two bags/acre of 18:6:12 next week.
Read more
Spring of the smash and grab
The blue skies and spring feel on Tuesday was just a teaser, as widespread heavy rain on Wednesday set everything back again. There’s no denying that it has been a hard spring – cold in February and cold and wet in March.
While soil temperatures have increased to about 6°C on average, mean growth rates are still only around 6kg/day. With more cold weather due to come in over the weekend, it looks like the low growth rates will continue for another while.
Grazing fatigue is setting in for some farmers. Many have been on/off grazing for six weeks. While it is demoralising, the payback will come in time. Remember the basics of using the back fence, grazing in square blocks, and only letting cows out when it is not raining, and bringing them in when it starts raining, or after three hours.
Some farmers successfully walk cows over grass, and then walk them back over the grass to get them back out. It’s a toss-up between doing that and using narrow cow tracks.
At this stage, average farm cover is more important than percentage grazed. You can’t let it drop below 500kg/ha. If this means putting in a lot of feed then so be it. It’s better to put in extra feed now than to deplete grass on the farm and hamper subsequent recovery. But it all depends on how much grass you have. See page 32 for details on an easy way to measure. Delaying the start of the second round is inevitable for most farmers. You need to delay it until such time as there is about 1,000kg to 1,200kg on the first paddock – probably in mid-April.
Farmers that have very little grazed so far can afford to graze away, if land is dry enough. Most of these farmers have high grass covers and they need to get them removed, or they will deteriorate further. They need to use it or lose it.
Grass growth is 5kg/day, one-third of the long-term average.Make sure average farm cover does not drop below 500kg/ha.Delay the start of the second round until mid-April to allow time for first grazed paddocks to catch up.
Teagasc Curtins Farm, Cork
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 5
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 516
Yield (l/cow/day) 23.8
Fat % 4.92
Protein % 3.42
Milk solids (kg/cow) 2
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 4m 4s
We have 50% of the farm grazed and 83% of the herd calved. Growth is very slow at 5kg per day, when we would be expecting it to be nearly 25kg/day. But we can only work with what we have.
Cows are going out for three or four hours in the evening and are then coming in for 4kg of silage. They are getting 8 or 9kg of grass and 4kg of meal. Area per day is reduced to 144sq m per cow and the plan is to stretch out the second round until 12 April. Pre-grazing yield is around 1,000kg/ha.
Teagasc Ballyhaise, Cavan
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 15
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 674
Yield (l/cow/day) 18.9
Fat % 5.13
Protein % 3.49
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.68
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
Things are going OK here. We have 28% of the farm grazed and 72% of the herd calved, 26 days after due date. Ground is only OK. Cows are out during the day, but come in after three hours of grazing at night. They get about 1kg of silage when they come in.
The urea spread a few weeks ago seems to be working as fields have got greener and growth is reasonable. We are going to go with one bag/acre of urea at the end of the week or early next week. Calving is going good, with the odd case of milk fever.
Derrinturn, Kildare
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 3
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 740
Yield (l/cow/day) 21
Fat % 5.00
Protein % 3.46
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.83
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 5m 5s
Farming at the moment is about toughing it out. We opened the farm at a high cover and that’s getting us through now. We grazed 40% of the farm in February but have really applied the brakes since then and have 48% grazed now. Cows are out on dry days only, and in by night regardless. They’re on 5kg of meal, 5kg of grass and about 5kg of silage at night. Grass has greened up a bit over the last few days but growth is still very slow. I have 46 units/acre of nitrogen out and will go with 10:10:20 whenever weather improves.
Craughwell
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.9
Growth rate (kg/day) 8.5
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 598
Yield (l/cow/day) 18
Fat % 4.7
Protein % 3.64
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.55
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 5m 5s
I’m running out of grass and dry ground but sure everyone is in the same position. The grass that was grazed in early February is beginning to come back. Cows are in good condition, which is the key thing really. I have 61% of the farm grazed now, but cows are in at night since last weekend to slow them down. I was planning to start the second round on 1 April, but this is put back to 5 April now. I think grass will take off when weather changes as it has got loads of fertiliser and slurry. I’m going to spread two bags/acre of 18:6:12 next week.
Read more
Spring of the smash and grab
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