Average grass growth this week is 85kg per day, up from 75kg last week. The super weather experienced over the last week created an almost glasshouse effect, with heat, moisture and sunshine, and grass growth responded.
Many farms are growing in excess of 100kg per day and this burst of growth is set to continue for another while. While there is rain in the forecast, soil temperatures are high and moisture is not lacking on any soil type.
However, this big burst of growth won’t last as long as the burst of growth we experienced in May.
We are now at the end of June, and there is only so much of rapid growth that the grass plant can sustain.
Fertiliser
Of course, a lot depends on how much fertiliser is being spread, but I would expect that growth rates will settle somewhere around the mid 60s on average over the next few weeks.
Grass has got noticeably stemmy over the past fortnight and, while most farmers would like to skip over a good few paddocks to clean them up, you still need to be careful not to skip over too much ground at once.
Some farmers got caught the last time by closing up a high proportion of the farm just before the weather broke and then couldn’t cut it when they wanted to.
There is rain forecast for the weekend and most of next week, so Thursday and Friday could be the last chance to cut and bale paddocks for the next week or 10 days.
Walk the farm at least once a week if not every five days. Many paddocks that have not been cut or topped yet this year look worse than they are, but they are still good quality.
In brief
Average grass growth for this week is 85kg per day.Heat and sunshine, combined with long daylight hours are driving on grass growth.Try and get surplus paddocks cut before the weather changes.Set demand at around 70kg/ha/day and set average farm cover at around 150 to 180kg/cow.
Teagasc Curtins, Co Cork
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.92
Growth rate (kg/day) 84
Average farm cover (kg/cow) 173
Yield (l/cow/day) 19.15
Fat % 4.34
Protein % 3.57
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.56
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 0.2
Pre-grazing yield is around 1,400kg and grass quality is good with a very even wedge and a lot of aftergrass available for grazing. We skipped over a few more paddocks this week as growth rate continues to drive on. Milk production is a bit disappointing but it is what it is. Cows are only getting 0.2kg of meal per day which is just a trickle in the milking parlour to encourage them to come in. Bulls are out and continue to pick up cows in heat.
Teagasc, Ballyhaise,
Co Cavan
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4.66
Growth rate (kg/day) 95
Average farm cover (kg/cow) 135
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.25
Fat % 4.29
Protein % 3.54
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.71
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 1
Grass is flying it again and keeping on top of the growth is a big challenge. We have 35% of the area out. Some of this land was cut for bales last weekend and the rest was cut on Tuesday evening. There are more paddocks that I’d like to cut but we can’t take out too much at once. Cows are grazing covers of 1,250 to 1,300 that was cut for silage only 14 days ago. We are following the cows with one bag per acre of sulCAN. We have six weeks of breeding completed and we let the bulls out last weekend.
Kilmacow, Co Kilkenny
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.25
Growth rate (kg/day) 61
Average farm cover (kg/cow) 157
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.1
Fat % 4.56
Protein % 3.60
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.77
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 1
I was very tight for grass up to a week ago. I had paddocks skipped over for silage three weeks ago but then the weather broke and I didn’t get the chance to cut them. I had to feed a few round bales made last year to get me out of the hole as farm cover went down to 300kg/ha. Things are good now and grass is flying it. Cows are going into light covers of 1,000kg but it is increasing the whole time. I’m spreading one bag/acre of Pasturesward after grazing.
Derrinturn, Co Kildare
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4
Growth rate (kg/day) 72
Average farm cover (kg/cow) 138
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.7
Fat % 4.25
Protein % 3.70
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.8
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 2
We were later than planned cutting the silage, which meant the stocking rate was high for the last few weeks. We have 15 acres of reseeds coming into the rotation at the end of this week and we got the silage cut too so we should be fine. Cows are grazing covers of 1,350kg and quality is reasonably good. We are spreading one bag per acre of Pasturesward once every three to four weeks. I have more ground sprayed off for reseeding and the plan is to disc and sow at the weekend, weather permitting.
Read more
Grass plus beef: Silage budgeting and battling stem
Average grass growth this week is 85kg per day, up from 75kg last week. The super weather experienced over the last week created an almost glasshouse effect, with heat, moisture and sunshine, and grass growth responded.
Many farms are growing in excess of 100kg per day and this burst of growth is set to continue for another while. While there is rain in the forecast, soil temperatures are high and moisture is not lacking on any soil type.
However, this big burst of growth won’t last as long as the burst of growth we experienced in May.
We are now at the end of June, and there is only so much of rapid growth that the grass plant can sustain.
Fertiliser
Of course, a lot depends on how much fertiliser is being spread, but I would expect that growth rates will settle somewhere around the mid 60s on average over the next few weeks.
Grass has got noticeably stemmy over the past fortnight and, while most farmers would like to skip over a good few paddocks to clean them up, you still need to be careful not to skip over too much ground at once.
Some farmers got caught the last time by closing up a high proportion of the farm just before the weather broke and then couldn’t cut it when they wanted to.
There is rain forecast for the weekend and most of next week, so Thursday and Friday could be the last chance to cut and bale paddocks for the next week or 10 days.
Walk the farm at least once a week if not every five days. Many paddocks that have not been cut or topped yet this year look worse than they are, but they are still good quality.
In brief
Average grass growth for this week is 85kg per day.Heat and sunshine, combined with long daylight hours are driving on grass growth.Try and get surplus paddocks cut before the weather changes.Set demand at around 70kg/ha/day and set average farm cover at around 150 to 180kg/cow.
Teagasc Curtins, Co Cork
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.92
Growth rate (kg/day) 84
Average farm cover (kg/cow) 173
Yield (l/cow/day) 19.15
Fat % 4.34
Protein % 3.57
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.56
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 0.2
Pre-grazing yield is around 1,400kg and grass quality is good with a very even wedge and a lot of aftergrass available for grazing. We skipped over a few more paddocks this week as growth rate continues to drive on. Milk production is a bit disappointing but it is what it is. Cows are only getting 0.2kg of meal per day which is just a trickle in the milking parlour to encourage them to come in. Bulls are out and continue to pick up cows in heat.
Teagasc, Ballyhaise,
Co Cavan
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4.66
Growth rate (kg/day) 95
Average farm cover (kg/cow) 135
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.25
Fat % 4.29
Protein % 3.54
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.71
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 1
Grass is flying it again and keeping on top of the growth is a big challenge. We have 35% of the area out. Some of this land was cut for bales last weekend and the rest was cut on Tuesday evening. There are more paddocks that I’d like to cut but we can’t take out too much at once. Cows are grazing covers of 1,250 to 1,300 that was cut for silage only 14 days ago. We are following the cows with one bag per acre of sulCAN. We have six weeks of breeding completed and we let the bulls out last weekend.
Kilmacow, Co Kilkenny
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.25
Growth rate (kg/day) 61
Average farm cover (kg/cow) 157
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.1
Fat % 4.56
Protein % 3.60
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.77
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 1
I was very tight for grass up to a week ago. I had paddocks skipped over for silage three weeks ago but then the weather broke and I didn’t get the chance to cut them. I had to feed a few round bales made last year to get me out of the hole as farm cover went down to 300kg/ha. Things are good now and grass is flying it. Cows are going into light covers of 1,000kg but it is increasing the whole time. I’m spreading one bag/acre of Pasturesward after grazing.
Derrinturn, Co Kildare
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4
Growth rate (kg/day) 72
Average farm cover (kg/cow) 138
Yield (l/cow/day) 21.7
Fat % 4.25
Protein % 3.70
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.8
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 2
We were later than planned cutting the silage, which meant the stocking rate was high for the last few weeks. We have 15 acres of reseeds coming into the rotation at the end of this week and we got the silage cut too so we should be fine. Cows are grazing covers of 1,350kg and quality is reasonably good. We are spreading one bag per acre of Pasturesward once every three to four weeks. I have more ground sprayed off for reseeding and the plan is to disc and sow at the weekend, weather permitting.
Read more
Grass plus beef: Silage budgeting and battling stem
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