Watch: grazing 60% of a heavy farm by late October in Co Kildare

Heinz runs a 100-cow suckler-to-beef herd on 75ha of grassland in Sallins, Co Kildare.

“This farm is notorious for low spring growth,” said Heinz, which means “closing the slower fields earlier in the autumn”.

The farm is divided in 75 paddocks, not counting additional temporary divisions. The first paddock was closed on 29 September, and will be the first one grazed by yearling bulls from mid-February. “That grass is not going to grow in February; it is growing now,” said Naas-based Teagasc adviser Christy Watson.

Heinz gave the example of a field closed on 16 October: “If I graze it again, I will have nothing here until May,” he said.

Mike Egan of Teagasc Moorepark stressed the 60/40 rule, insisting that farmers should have 60% of their farm grazed by 1 November, and the remaining 40% between then and full housing. Mike said we should resist the temptation to keep grazing into the autumn, as every day at grass in the spring worth €2.60 per animal v €1.80 in the autumn.

Don’t close all the wet fields first

One key aspect of Heinz’s autumn grass management is to close a mix of wet and dry paddocks to keep his options open in the spring. While it could seem logical to close wetter paddocks first as they become more difficult to use in the autumn, the advice was that they will also be wet in the spring. Heinz gave the example of a dry, sloping field facing southwest close to the farm with strong grass growth, which he has already closed as “this is a great field to let the bulls if the tank fills up in February”.

The maximum you will lose in a cold winter is 20% to 25% of heavy covers

Mike said that while the optimum grass height to minimise loss during the winter was 7cm to 8cm at the start of December, heavier covers were not a major issue. “The maximum you will lose in a cold winter is 20% to 25% of heavy covers,” he said. However, he advised flexibility: priority should remain to grazing down paddocks and closing them up, according to the plan, while keeping the option open to bring cows in and out to manage covers into the end of the autumn.

Karen Dukelow of Teagasc Moorepark said it was not too late to start an autumn grass management plan. “Look at the fields you’ve been grazing since the start of October and consider them closed” as part of the 60/40 rule,’’ she said.

Stay tuned to www.farmersjournal.ie/BETTERfarm this weekend for more from Heinz’s farm, including details of the weaning nose paddles shown in the video.

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