Meal

Grass growth rates are by no means superb, but they are a lot better than they were, and it’s really only in the last few weeks that farming has been somewhat pleasurable again in the sense that growth is meeting demand.

It’s not the same for everyone, and growth is still suppressed in parts of the south and east. However, where grass is no longer scarce, then efforts need to be made to reduce meal feeding rates.

Feed budgets have been blown in the first six months of the year, as grass growth and grazing conditions were so poor.

The challenge now is to try and minimise what is fed from here on in.

Margins are squeezed and cash is tight, so retaining cash is critical and spending cash on meal for a marginal return doesn’t make sense, presuming there is enough grass.

Many farmers have gone to minimum feeding rates or cut out meal altogether. For those on batch meal feeders, the minimum feed is 0.8kg per pull.

Some are only feeding every second row, or are only feeding meal in the morning or evening. Others block off every second feeder.

Then the focus turns to cow flow. A couple of points; milkers shouldn’t leave the pit to bring cows in – this actually disrupts flow more.

As soon as the first few cows are in, start putting on clusters and let the rest of the row fill up gradually.

It’ll be faster to leave a few clusters hanging up than to try and have every row full. Using 12 hour breaks will improve cow flow, but allocations need to be good.

Reseeding

Conditions are close to ideal for reseeding, but those planning to do some this autumn need to get moving quickly. The later it goes the poorer the outcome will be.

It’s usually 60 days between the time the field is sprayed off to the time the grass is grazed for the first time.

The later the field is sprayed off the longer the time will be, and if it’s too late it won’t be grazed at all this back-end.

Most farmers need all their grazing area for the autumn, so if a field is sprayed today, it won’t be grazed until early October, thereby missing out on the ability to build up grass.

From a white clover, red clover or multispecies point of view, these plants prefer to be planted in spring, as it allows for better root development before the winter sets in. .

Construction costs

Construction costs have skyrocketed and Government supports have fallen away for dairy farmers looking to expand or build new milking facilities.

With such high costs for materials and installation, particularly concrete and electrical services, careful planning and delivery have never been more important. Even relatively small jobs are now a big investment, and over-runs are very costly.

There is a massive range in interest rates between banks at present, ranging from 3.5% to 6% for secured money and over 8% for unsecured Milk Flex loans.

Have the project carefully costed before works begin, have an agreement in writing with the builder, and have an appropriate contingency fund for when things inevitably go wrong.