It has been a relatively quiet week on the livestock front on Tullamore Farm.

As mentioned in last week’s update, all lambs received a worm dose on 23 August after a few were noticed getting dirty. A Levimasol-based product was used.

This product had a 10-day withdrawal period, so no lambs could be drafted this week.

The plan is to draft lambs again on Monday 2 September for slaughter before next weekend.

Breeding ewes are still on bare ground ahead of flushing for the forthcoming breeding season.

Cattle

It is pretty much the status quo on the cattle side of the enterprise too.

More and more calves are coming out under the electric fence now in pursuit of fresh grass.

Holding the cows back on bare ground that little bit longer has encouraged this.

Bull calves are being offered concentrates daily, with a trough being placed directly outside the raised electric wire.

Cows scanned as empty will be removed from their respective groups next week and will start receiving concentrates for finishing soon after. All suckling cows are being offered high-magnesium lick buckets to reduce the risk of grass tetany.

Grass

The one thing that has not been quiet this week is grass growth. In fact, you possibly could have heard it growing this week if you listened hard enough. OK, I exaggerate.

But the weekly grass measurement, taken on Thursday afternoon, does show a very impressive growth rate of 88kg DM/ha/day for the last week. That’s up from 60kg DM/ha/day the week before.

Is this a reflection of 108ac being blanket-spread with one bag/ac of CAN (27 units N) last week? Yes, I think so.

With nitrogen applied, soil temperatures still relatively warm (approximately 17°C) and less rain received than other parts of the country (5.3mm in Mullingar), there has been ideal grass growing and grazing conditions on the farm, given the time of year.

Grass wedge - 29 August 2019

The good growth has shot the farm right up to where it needs to be, or even slightly ahead.

Average farm cover is at 1,032kg DM/ha.

The target for 1 September should be an average cover of 950kg to 1,000kg DM/ha, rising to a mid-September peak of 1,150kg DM/ha.

Decisions

Speaking to farm manager Shaun Diver, there could possibly be an argument made for taking out one or two paddocks as surplus, but it might be wise to play it safe for the time being – for two reasons.

Firstly, while weather on the farm has been OK so far, it is unsettled countrywide. Nights are getting significantly shorter and cooler.

Grass quality is also in decline (about 15% reduced feeding value compared to spring/mid-summer).

With all that in mind, animals are going to move through grass quicker.

As well as that, the ewes are on a very restrictive diet at present.

But ahead of breeding, the farm will need good lush, leafy covers to flush the ewes. Grass demand will increase as a result.

Over the next week, the grass situation will be monitored and we will know more for next weekend’s online update.