The ploughing championships next week signify the final round of grazing for those on heavy farms, while those on drier ground may eke out a second grazing on some paddocks.

It has been a difficult year throughout for grazing, and at this point some farmers are nearly looking forward to pulling the pin and getting stock in and content on silage, though every effort should be made to keep stock at grass (provided excessive damage to swards isn’t being done) to try and shorten the winter months.

At this stage, there is little point in talking about building up covers through fertiliser usage, as even with spreading allowed up until the weekend, the kickback on N application is mediocre at this late stage in the year.

Lessening the demand below growth, with growth likely to decline, will mean removing stock from the equation. Empty spring calving cows destined for sale can be weaned and housed for finishing now, with a short, sharp finishing period likely seeing cows with a good cover of flesh on them out the gate inside two months.

Forward store cattle that have been receiving meal outdoors at grass could also be earmarked for housing, as grass dry matter is variable at best at the minute. Silage feeding is harder in beef stock compared to dairy, with dairy cows coming indoors twice daily. If ground conditions allow, some silage can be fed in feeders or trailers alongside grass, which will help improve dry matter intake while also lessening demand at grass.

Farmers

Shaun Diver – Tullamore Farm, Co Offaly

Farm cover is probably sitting closer now to 1,100kg DM/ha, and we will likely max out at 1,200kg DM/ha. While this might seem high for a drystock farm, we have a high demand into the winter months with our ewe flock.

We are currently grazing off the wetter ground while we can, and this will be grazed again with ewes in November. We will begin closing up ground in about two weeks’ time.

Lambs are being drafted regularly, with just 40 ram lambs remaining on the farm which are being fed 0.5kg concentrates/head/day. Weaning of the cows and calves will begin next week, with cull cows to be housed for feeding, with a target of getting these away by the end of October.

System Suckler to beef

Soil Type Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 984

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 39

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 37

Stephen Frend – Newford Herd, Co Roscommon

We’ve had close to a week of fine weather which has improved grazing conditions, and stock are more content. We had to house some stock temporarily, but these are back out agian.

The better conditions allow us to graze out covers nice and clean. The calves are creep grazing ahead of the cows, so we are not hitting them on intake.

The last of the reseeding for the year was completed on the out farm over the weekend, with 10 acres sown. We have pulled out 16 of the heaviest bullocks (weighing an average of 570kg) for increased meal feeding at grass, with these now at 4kg/concentrates/head.

The first half of the cows and calves have been weaned, with the annual TB test being completed this week.

System Suckler to beef

Soil Type Free draining

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 1,099

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 27

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 49

John Dunne – Portarlington, Co Offaly

We are getting a nice mix of dry weather with some showers to keep growth ticking along, with the hope being to cut our spring barley towards the weekend.

Even though it is a little late in the year, we are hoping to give this a run of the stubble grubber and sow some fodder rape for our dairy beef weanlings. Red clover bales will be lined out in the field as the main source of feed.

Even if grazing conditions were poor, we would be happy to wait until spring to graze this.

Weaning is ongoing and scanning has been completed, with any empty heifers or cows (with some purposely not bred) being offloaded to make sure we stay out of derogation as we are in ACRES.

System Suckler/dairy calf to beef

Soil Type Free draining

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 903

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 42

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 36