Heading into the final week of March, many farmers would have planned to be thinking about the second grass rotation, but many farms are even yet to hit their February grazing targets.

There is a distensible variation between area grazed on farms across the country, very much based on location, land type and the infrastructure on the farm.

There are very few farms across the country that will hit the target of getting 60 units of Nitrogen out by the beginning of April.

Some farms managed to get between 20-30 units out in February when they found a gap in the weather.

Yes, there is a lot of grass on farms at the moment with a low percentage grazed, but not spreading now could cause a grass deficit in April and heading into the second round. Growth rates are only fair, with cold and wet spells forecasted for the next week again.

A lot of drier farms that are able to meet grazing targets are seeing a slow bounce back to the earlier paddocks grazed, with only 500kg DM/ha covers coming back.

These farmers now need to reassess their spring rotation planner and potentially push back the date to begin second rotation by a week.

If there is enough silage stock in the yard, which is not likely, farmers could also supplement silage to reduce demand.

Farmers that have access to silage ground with the milking herd should also be making a plan to get this grazed off before the end of March if not already done. This should be then closed off for silage, aiming for a mid-May cut.

Caroline O’Sullivan – Teagasc Curtins, Co Cork

Grazing is good considering the challenging spring. Cows have been in and out by night depending on the weather forecast. They will get out for two grazings nearly every day now and they are brought in at 7pm if they don’t stay out the whole night.

There is 62% of the farm grazed now so we are on target for 60% on St Patrick’s Day. We are doing little damage, with plenty of roadways and gaps.

We are following cows with 2,000 gallons of slurry on grazed paddocks when weather allows. We plan to go with 20 units of urea this week and another 20 units before April to bring us to 60 units overall spread before April.

Stocking Rate (cow/ha) 2.3

Growth Rate (kg/day) 22

Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 757

Yield (l/cow) 21

Fat% 5.26

Protein% 3.47

Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.83

Concentrates

Eoin Corrigan – Trim, Co Meath

Grazing has been better than most. With 58% of the farm grazed, it’s been mostly on and off grazing due to the weather. We have managed to get out at night a handful of times but we’ve had to work hard for it.

There is probably 500kg DM/ha on the first grazed paddocks and I would like them to be at 7-800. I had planned to begin the second rotation the first week of April, but I’ll push that back to the second week now.

Cows are getting 9-10kg of grass, 4kg of concentrates in the parlour and they are getting 4kg of hay silage and soya hulls to reduce demand and reduce silage usage as stocks are tight.

Stocking Rate (cow/ha) 3.1

Growth Rate (kg/day) 15

Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 710

Yield (l/cow) 25

Fat% 5.17

Protein% 3.77

Milk Solids (kg/cow) 2.23

Concentrates 4kg

Chris Tuffy – Doonally, Co Sligo

We have 60% of the farm grazed. We are slightly ahead of where we’d like to be on this farm as magic day doesn’t come until about 14 April. We have 90% of the herd calved now, so demand is high and we’re getting through ground.

Cows are only going out by day this week, getting about 6kg of grass in the diet. They are in by night just to slow them down a small bit.

One third of the farm has got slurry on the grazing platform at 2,500 gallons per acre so far, and we hope to go with more soon. Most of the farm has been spread with 35 units of urea to the acre now, and we’ll get out again before April if we can.

Stocking Rate (cow/ha) 3.2

Growth Rate (kg/day) 13

Average Farm Cover (kg/ha) 780

Yield (l/cow) 23

Fat% 4.98

Protein% 3.4

Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.92

Concentrates 3.5

Ken Gill – Clonbullogue, Co Offaly

We started off grazing on the silage ground this year to get regrowths back to be able to cut silage. We are nearly finished grazing the silage ground now and about to head onto grazing ground soon.

The difficult weather is making it challenging to find dry paddocks to put cattle.

We have cull cows and calves out on stubble turnips grazing throughout the winter. Once they finish them, they will be put back on grass. Any paddocks that were grazed bare last year still have very little grass covers on them.

The farm here is in organics, so I can’t spread any chemical nitrogen. Once the cattle finish the silage ground, I will go with 2,500 gallons of slurry per acre and that will be closed for silage.

System Organic Beef

Soil Type Mostly Dry

Farm Cover (kg/DM/ha) 452

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 11

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 29

Niall O’Meara – Killimor, Co Galway

So far this year the autumn calvers and calves have been out for about eight days or so. Conditions have been very poor. There is about 40% of the farm grazed now. There is plenty of grass out there as we closed the farm early last year.

Once the calves are weaned off cows in April, cows will be following calves so demand isn’t going to rise much.

I prefer not to close off any paddocks for long term silage, so I wont bag any paddocks for silage. Instead I will just take off strong paddocks for bales throughout the year.

Hopefully I can get out soon with fertiliser. I plan to spread 23 units of protected urea and sulphur across the whole farm, with the exception of any wet paddocks I can’t spread.

System Suckler to weanling

Soil Type Variable

Farm Cover (kg/DM/ha) 618

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 16

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 6

Mark Maxwell – Mullingar, Co Westmeath

It’s been a really difficult spring so far to get any cattle out. Some of our autumn calvers are out, but not all of them.

We have both spring and autumn calvers here, so it’s only the lighter autumn calvers that have been out with calves.

There is about 35% of the farm grazed now. It has been extremely wet, so we are moving cows through paddocks faster than usual to minimise damage.

I hope to get half a bag of urea (23 units/acre) on most of the farm when weather allows. Some older grass will get 18:6:12.

There was slurry spread on a good few paddocks. The tanks are full again, so we will have to get some more out the minute it dries.

System Suckler to beef

Soil Type Free draining

Farm Cover (kg/DM/ha) 1184

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 24

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) -