It is eight weeks until 1 September so the dry period is looming for many of these cows. Body condition score is important. I was in Scotland last week and the top-performing all-year-round-calving high-input farms are looking to minimise BCS change. The difference in BCS between the cows calved 40 days and those due to calve was minimal. Their target is to have BCS between 2.75 and 3.25, with minimal changes throughout the year. Cows that lose more than 0.5 of a BCS unit are the problem cows.
Research from Moorepark backs up this theory. Avoid letting dry cows get too fat on lush grass. Stemmy grass or a bare paddock with access to hay or low DMD silage is sufficient. This also helps in preventing metabolic disorders post-calving.
Grassland farmer of the year:
The closing date for applications to the 2017 Grassland Farmer of the Year competition is next Wednesday 5 July. Application forms will be available at the Moorepark Open Day next Tuesday. The competition is part of the Grass 10 campaign and is open to all beef, sheep and dairy farmers. There is a €30,000 prize fund and to participate, farmers should be measuring grass and doing a profit monitor.