The average growth rate across the country was 44kg DM/day for the last week. However, from speaking to some farmers at the Ploughing, huge variation exists across the country.

Some farmers are seeing growths as low as 20-30kg DM/day for over a month now, with many others seeing growths of 50-60kg DM/day.

Those in the higher range are on track to hit their autumn targets, but farmers with lower growth rates are facing challenges.

On the plus side, soil temperatures are 2-3°C above average for this time of year, but it’s hard to know how long this will last for.

Soil moisture deficits on the other hand are nearly as high as 40-50mm in some parts of the country. While rain is forecast from the south later in the week, it’s likely too late to significantly improve average farm cover.

There are about six to seven weeks of grazing left on most farms, so make sure to walk the farm to see where you currently stand in terms of your average farm cover and make a plan to stretch the rotation for as long as possible.

High-quality silage that was intended for feeding cows after calving next spring may need to be used sooner than expected.

Budget

To avoid shortages next spring, it’s important to conduct a fodder budget now. If you find you’ll need additional silage, consider purchasing surplus now, as it will likely be much more expensive by February or March next year. Planning ahead can save both stress and money later on.

Feed mills are also extra busy for this time of year, but supplementing feed is essential to maintain milk production potential.

Also, it’s worth noting paddocks with high clover content now. Target to graze these paddocks towards the latter end of the final round. Heavy winter grass cover will smother plants and block light from reaching the sward base.

Swardwatch

  • PBI data shows that 50% of farms have a farm cover <800 kg DM/ha.
  • Take advantage of the current weather to spread slurry, lime, and potassium, as it will become much harder to do so if conditions deteriorate.
  • Focus the remaining slurry on low-fertility paddocks that had significant silage offtakes without replenishing P and K through compound fertiliser.
  • Final date of slurry application (DM of 1% or greater) is up until midnight Monday 30 September.

    • Farmers

    Tony Byron – Teagasc Curtins, Co Cork

    Growth remains stagnant at around 20-30kg DM/day, but we’ve managed to increase our cover from 309 to 345kg DM/ha over the past three weeks by feeding heavily. We stopped feeding silage in the last few days, as several fields needed grazing off due to declining quality.

    In the coming days, over 20 empty cows will be leaving, which will help reduce our demand further.

    Our third-cut was completed over the weekend, yielding 400 bales – enough to see us through the winter. We plan to start our final rotation on 10 October and will spend next week putting a plan together to make sure our best clover paddocks are grazed last.

    Stocking Rate (cow/ha) 2.52

    Growth Rate (kg/day) 21

    Average Farm Cover (kg/cow) 345

    Yield (l/cow) 14

    Fat% 5.88

    Protein% 4.38

    Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.48

    Concentrates 6

    Barry Powell – Nenagh, Co Tipperary

    We set a 35-day rotation over the past few weeks to build farm cover, but low growth rates prevented that from happening. Cows are receiving 3kg of nuts in the parlour, and while we also budgeted for 3kg of palm kernel, it’s probably closer to 6kg with the frequency of the truck coming into the yard.

    Our autumn reseeds have just received their post-emergence spray and will be ready for grazing next week.

    On the fertility side, 12% of cows scanned empty, compared to 2% in our heifers. Unfortunately, our FTAI sexed semen programme in the heifers was disappointing again this year, with only a 40% conception rate.

    Stocking Rate (cow/ha) 3.4

    Growth Rate (kg/day) 45

    Average Farm Cover (kg/cow) 220

    Yield (l/cow) 17.8

    Fat% 5.89

    Protein% 4.32

    Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.87

    Concentrates 3

    Dan McCarthy – Skibbereen, Co Cork

    We started the 10-in-7 milking frequency on Tuesday, our second year doing it. Last year was tough due to nearly six weeks of rain by this stage. For the past month we’ve been milking 13 times a week.

    Cows are being introduced to beet in the field, so our demand for grass will drop significantly by next week. They’re grazing covers of 1,100-1,200kg DM/ha and getting a small amount of silage at milking.

    Our scan showed 11% empty after a 10-week breeding period. We used sexed semen on all our in-calf heifers, with a 62% conception rate. Cows will get their salmonella booster this week.

    Stocking Rate (cow/ha) 2.9

    Growth Rate (kg/day) 55

    Average Farm Cover (kg/cow) 205

    Yield (l/cow) 15.2

    Fat% 4.76

    Protein% 4.33

    Milk Solids (kg/cow) 1.42

    Concentrates 3