Average grass growth this week is down to 17kg/day. While it’s back a lot on the growth of the past six weeks, it’s still a decent enough rate for early November. However, widespread and heavy rain has been a bigger problem than a drop in growth, with many farmers having to house or planning to house stock as a result.With the drop in growth, average farm cover has also decreased. A lot of farms are now down around the 650kg to 700kg/ha mark. This is dangerous territory for going too low. If you drop too much you will be chasing your tail for all of next spring, as the vast majority of grass on the farm in February and March is grown in autumn, not spring. Closing the farm at the right cover this winter is like leaving money in a high interest deposit account – you’ll be glad of it next spring. A good few farmers are switching to day-only grazings to stretch grass in the diet for another while.
Average grass growth this week is down to 17kg/day. While it’s back a lot on the growth of the past six weeks, it’s still a decent enough rate for early November. However, widespread and heavy rain has been a bigger problem than a drop in growth, with many farmers having to house or planning to house stock as a result.
With the drop in growth, average farm cover has also decreased. A lot of farms are now down around the 650kg to 700kg/ha mark. This is dangerous territory for going too low. If you drop too much you will be chasing your tail for all of next spring, as the vast majority of grass on the farm in February and March is grown in autumn, not spring. Closing the farm at the right cover this winter is like leaving money in a high interest deposit account – you’ll be glad of it next spring. A good few farmers are switching to day-only grazings to stretch grass in the diet for another while.
Keeping grass in the diet for longer is always a good job, once you don’t eat too much into farm cover.
The key is to know what cover you need to close at and have the discipline not to go below that. Work out how many paddocks you have left to graze, and when they’re gone they’re gone. If land is getting wet and damage is being done, it might be best to house fully for a few days and then let them back out again when conditions improve.
If your farm is stocked at over three cows/ha, you should be closing the farm at a cover of 800kg/ha or more by 1 December. Lower-stocked farms, less than three cows/ha should be able to get away with closing at a lower cover, 600kg/ha or so.
It all depends on stocking rate, calving date and how much grass you will grow over winter. That comes down to location, soil fertility and how much of the farm has been reseeded in the past decade.
Average grass growth rates are back to 17kg/day.Wet weather has made grazing difficult, and some herds are being housed.Don’t let average farm cover go too low.
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Grass+: grazing days numbered as conditions decline
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