The last week has provided some welcome relief from rain for most of the country, with the exception of farmers in the northwest, who experienced heavy rain on Wednesday. Land all along the western seaboard continues to be wet, with many herds housed fulltime and not likely to come back out again in 2017.
Elsewhere, grazing conditions have improved and thoughts are now turning to closing up paddocks for the winter. Closing up paddocks early will give the grass an opportunity to recover before growth rate drops dramatically next month. It is the grass grown in the next month that cows will be grazing in February and March next year. The importance of early spring grass is well proven, but to have it farmers must close up ground for spring now.
Most farmers will start closing paddocks between 5 and 10 October. The target is to close about 60% of the farm in the following four weeks, and then stretch out the last 40% of grazing for as long as ground conditions allow, or the average farm cover doesn’t go too low. It’s a bit like speeding up before coming to traffic lights – you want to make up as much ground as possible in a short space of time, knowing that you’ll need to slow down and stop later.
Grazing 60% in the next four weeks is a challenge, particularly if average farm cover is high at around 1,200kg/ha. To achieve the target, you will have to go into lighter covers and move through them fast. Remember, the first grazed paddocks will have the highest covers next spring, but they probably won’t be the paddocks to be grazed first so they don’t have to be the driest but they definitely shouldn’t be the wettest either.
Average grass growth rate is good at 45kg/day and the weather has improved for most of the country.Now is the time to be planning to close paddocks up for winter.The target is to close 60% of the farm in the next month.
Teagasc Curtins Farm, Cork
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.76
Growth rate (kg/day) 56
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 968
Yield (l/cow/day) 14.9
Fat % 5.65
Protein % 4.19
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.51
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 2
Ground conditions are very good and it’s easy to farm at the moment. We were grazing covers of 2,400kg but we skipped out of these and started grazing the reseeds again while the weather is good. These are at a cover of about 1,600kg.
We didn’t reach the peak average farm cover that we expected, but growth is still ahead of demand at 41kg so at least we are not dropping. We started closing paddocks on Tuesday. Target closing average farm cover is 600kg by 21 November. Cows are on all grass plus 2kg of meal.
Teagasc Ballyhaise, Cavan
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.06
Growth rate (kg/day) 46
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 1,210
Yield (l/cow/day) 13.5
Fat % 5.21
Protein % 3.94
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.27
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
The weather improved a good bit this week which allowed us to keep the cows out day and night every day. They stayed in last Sunday night because it was too wet. There is a good bit of rain forecast for tonight (Wednesday) so if it’s too bad they’ll come in. Average farm cover is on target, so we have plenty of grass.
Demand is at 40kg/day and the farm is growing 46kg so we are holding cover well. Cows are on 3kg of meal and SCC is 154,000.
Mountbellew College, Galway
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.5
Growth rate (kg/day) 58
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 828
Yield (l/cow/day) 17.5
Fat % 4.29
Protein % 3.49
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.4
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3m 4s
Ground conditions are very difficult but we are managing to keep grass in the cows’ diet through on/off grazing. They go out morning and evening for three hours and then they come back into the shed. They’re getting about 2kg of silage dry matter when they come in so they are happy enough. We’re behind target for average farm cover but growth rates are holding up well so I’m happy enough. We spread one bag/acre of 19:0:15 before the closing date and got a great kick off it. We started closing the first paddocks on 28 September and the plan is to have 70% grazed by 1 November.
Redcross, Wicklow
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.67
Growth rate (kg/day) 55
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 920
Yield (l/cow/day) 17
Fat % 4.41
Protein % 3.64
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.41
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
Things are going pretty well at the moment. Cows are on 24-hour breaks but that will all change if we get half a day’s rain. Cows are grazing covers of 1,800kg. The maiden heifers came home from the contract-rearer two weeks earlier than normal so they are going to graze the far away section of the farm and reduce the amount of walking by the herd.
But this means we will probably have to feed some good-quality silage to the milkers to make up for the grass eaten by the heifers. I hope to have 70% of the farm grazed by 1 November.
Read more
Grass+ beef: closing for winter from now on
The last week has provided some welcome relief from rain for most of the country, with the exception of farmers in the northwest, who experienced heavy rain on Wednesday. Land all along the western seaboard continues to be wet, with many herds housed fulltime and not likely to come back out again in 2017.
Elsewhere, grazing conditions have improved and thoughts are now turning to closing up paddocks for the winter. Closing up paddocks early will give the grass an opportunity to recover before growth rate drops dramatically next month. It is the grass grown in the next month that cows will be grazing in February and March next year. The importance of early spring grass is well proven, but to have it farmers must close up ground for spring now.
Most farmers will start closing paddocks between 5 and 10 October. The target is to close about 60% of the farm in the following four weeks, and then stretch out the last 40% of grazing for as long as ground conditions allow, or the average farm cover doesn’t go too low. It’s a bit like speeding up before coming to traffic lights – you want to make up as much ground as possible in a short space of time, knowing that you’ll need to slow down and stop later.
Grazing 60% in the next four weeks is a challenge, particularly if average farm cover is high at around 1,200kg/ha. To achieve the target, you will have to go into lighter covers and move through them fast. Remember, the first grazed paddocks will have the highest covers next spring, but they probably won’t be the paddocks to be grazed first so they don’t have to be the driest but they definitely shouldn’t be the wettest either.
Average grass growth rate is good at 45kg/day and the weather has improved for most of the country.Now is the time to be planning to close paddocks up for winter.The target is to close 60% of the farm in the next month.
Teagasc Curtins Farm, Cork
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.76
Growth rate (kg/day) 56
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 968
Yield (l/cow/day) 14.9
Fat % 5.65
Protein % 4.19
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.51
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 2
Ground conditions are very good and it’s easy to farm at the moment. We were grazing covers of 2,400kg but we skipped out of these and started grazing the reseeds again while the weather is good. These are at a cover of about 1,600kg.
We didn’t reach the peak average farm cover that we expected, but growth is still ahead of demand at 41kg so at least we are not dropping. We started closing paddocks on Tuesday. Target closing average farm cover is 600kg by 21 November. Cows are on all grass plus 2kg of meal.
Teagasc Ballyhaise, Cavan
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 3.06
Growth rate (kg/day) 46
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 1,210
Yield (l/cow/day) 13.5
Fat % 5.21
Protein % 3.94
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.27
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
The weather improved a good bit this week which allowed us to keep the cows out day and night every day. They stayed in last Sunday night because it was too wet. There is a good bit of rain forecast for tonight (Wednesday) so if it’s too bad they’ll come in. Average farm cover is on target, so we have plenty of grass.
Demand is at 40kg/day and the farm is growing 46kg so we are holding cover well. Cows are on 3kg of meal and SCC is 154,000.
Mountbellew College, Galway
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.5
Growth rate (kg/day) 58
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 828
Yield (l/cow/day) 17.5
Fat % 4.29
Protein % 3.49
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.4
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3m 4s
Ground conditions are very difficult but we are managing to keep grass in the cows’ diet through on/off grazing. They go out morning and evening for three hours and then they come back into the shed. They’re getting about 2kg of silage dry matter when they come in so they are happy enough. We’re behind target for average farm cover but growth rates are holding up well so I’m happy enough. We spread one bag/acre of 19:0:15 before the closing date and got a great kick off it. We started closing the first paddocks on 28 September and the plan is to have 70% grazed by 1 November.
Redcross, Wicklow
Stocking rate (cows/ha) 2.67
Growth rate (kg/day) 55
Average farm cover (kg/ha) 920
Yield (l/cow/day) 17
Fat % 4.41
Protein % 3.64
Milk solids (kg/cow) 1.41
Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 3
Things are going pretty well at the moment. Cows are on 24-hour breaks but that will all change if we get half a day’s rain. Cows are grazing covers of 1,800kg. The maiden heifers came home from the contract-rearer two weeks earlier than normal so they are going to graze the far away section of the farm and reduce the amount of walking by the herd.
But this means we will probably have to feed some good-quality silage to the milkers to make up for the grass eaten by the heifers. I hope to have 70% of the farm grazed by 1 November.
Read more
Grass+ beef: closing for winter from now on
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