Seven tips for grazing heavy covers at this point in the season

Prolonged periods of heavy rainfall during August and September have forced many farmers to house cattle earlier than planned.

This has left several farms carrying heavy covers of grass and wondering how best to utilise it.

On heavy farms where soils may be waterlogged, the options for utilising grass are extremely limited.

On some very heavy farms, there may be no further prospect of grazing this land again this year. Carrying heavy covers throughout winter will lead to a build up of dead material in the sward.

This dead grass usually forms a mat and lodges.

If not eaten off, grass growth will be slow to come next spring.

Cleaning off heavy covers is also important for spreading slurry on the ground before the closing period. So what are your options for cleaning out heavy covers?

Outlined below are possible options to help deal with grazing heavy grass covers on-farm before the winter.

1. Strip-grazing

Where ground is still capable of carrying light cattle, strip-grazing using temporary electric wire will increase grass utilisation and help clean out swards. You need to move the wire at the same time each day to prevent cattle from becoming hungry and unsettled.

2. Split paddocks to 12- or 24-hour blocks

Splitting paddocks to 24-hour grazing blocks works on the same principle as strip-grazing, by preventing cattle from trampling and spoiling the sward. Move cattle to fresh grass at the same time each day to prevent them from becoming unsettled.

3. Graze paddock from both sides of the field

You could try to strip-graze the paddock from both ends of the field. That way you are getting more stock onto a paddock, but in two smaller groups. This will speed up the rate at which animals clean out covers before you have to house them for winter.

4. On-off grazing

Allowing autumn-born calves or light spring-born weanlings to creep out to grass by day will make good use of grass. Calf performance is usually increased also. The daily feed demand of the cow will also be reduced, saving valuable silage.

5. Store lambs

If your ground is not fit to carry cattle, store lambs are an option. You will require good fencing, making it a more restrictive option for some farmers.

But don’t rule it out. With mains electric fencing, you can set up some boundary fences using plastic stakes and running three, or four, strands of temporary electric wire and reels. Buying forward lambs that will finish with a short keep will avoid the need to house lambs for finishing.

6. Winter grazing of sheep

Leasing ground for winter grazing of sheep will help to graze off grass without you having to buy any animals or tend to them. There will also be an income from the leasing of land.

Again, it will depend on fencing on the farm.

Make sure you agree a set date to have sheep removed from the farm, otherwise you could run short of spring grass for your own animals.

Rather than set stocking the sheep on the farm, try and keep them to a rotation so that you can close up paddocks in order as the sheep move around the farm.

7.Silage bales

For some farmers facing a possible fodder shortage this winter, making a small cut of baled silage may be an option for utilising grass in the coming weeks.

It will depend on weather and ground conditions and be a more expensive option than grazing. But the bales made will help to avoid a fodder shortage this winter.

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