Mild temperatures over the autumn and winter have led to heavy grass covers accumulating on many beef farms.
While having plenty of grass is never a bad problem, several farmers have been asking how they can best utilise these covers once cattle are turned out later in spring.
Heavy grass covers can be difficult to manage. Cattle can waste grass if they are given unrestricted access to swards as in a set-stocking situation through trampling and soiling.
For some farmers, heavy grass covers mean there are limited paddocks that can take slurry and they are waiting until swards have been grazed off before spreading.
Other farmers in a similar position have asked about the merits of closing off grazing ground and taking an early cut of silage.
The same issues are cropping up on numerous farms, regardless of whether they operate on dry or heavier land.
Where farmers working on drier land managed to get some cattle out to grass in February to start grazing off heavy covers, the winter-like weather during March led to animals being rehoused, putting grazing on hold.
However, early applications of chemical fertiliser and slurry kickstarted grass growth on these farms, and covers are starting to build again.
For farmers working on heavier land, turnout dates are more realistically late April to early May.
The issue on these farms is that grass covers will get too far ahead of cattle and become even more difficult to manage. Outlined as follows are some options for getting grazing management back under control this spring.
Following some, or all of the outlined options, will make the most of spring grass and thereby improve animal performance.
1
How should I manage turnout? Early turnout does not mean letting every animal, or large groups of cattle, out to grass at the same time.
Turning big numbers out at the same time can make ground conditions more difficult to manage during a wet spell.
Also, grazing demand will be running well ahead of grass growth and there is the risk of running out of grass if you have not carried out some form of grazing budget.
Prioritise cattle for turnout and plan out a rotation for these animals. Start off by turning out small groups of lighter store heifers, ideally those that will go to the bull in May or June.
An early turnout means these animals will benefit from compensatory growth and are more likely to reach weight targets once breeding starts.
Turning these animals out first means they will be settled and adjusted to a grazing diet well in advance of the breeding season, thereby improving conception rates.
Yearling bullocks, or autumn bull calves should be next to go to grass. These animals will be light and inflict less damage to swards if ground conditions are marginal.
While there is an urgency to get freshly calved cows and calves out to grass, remember that these animals are heavier and will be harder on ground if conditions under foot remain soft.
Start by filtering spring-calving cows out to grass slowly. Once you are confident that ground conditions are improving, you can increase turnout rate.
Ideally, target a field that will be reseeded this spring when turning out cows as it is less of an issue if poaching occurs.
Autumn-calving cows should be the last group to turn out. Cows that calved last August, September or October can remain housed for a longer period, as turnout to grass will do little to boost milk production at this point in their lactation curve.
August- and September-calving cows can be weaned by early April, with their calves allowed out to grass.
Dry cows can be turned out at a later stage once ground conditions and grass growth improves. This prevents dry cows competing with higher-priority animals for grass in late March and early April.
2
What is the best way to graze heavy swards? If cattle are given unrestricted access to heavy covers of grass swards, there will be a high level of waste from trampling, soiling and lying.
When grazing heavy swards, think of electric wire, reels and temporary posts as your best friends. Use moveable, temporary electric fences to split paddocks and reduce grazing areas.
This will allow cattle to clean out swards fully and prevent animals from wasting grass through trampling.
Another benefit of controlling the size of the grazing area is that you will be better equipped to judge if you can take grazing swards out for silage.
Strip grazing also works well, provided the fence is moved at the same time every day. However, be sure to give a large enough grazing allocation to prevent cattle from running out of grass and breaking the wire as they become unsettled.
Therefore, when strip grazing, start off by offering cattle a much bigger grass allocation than needed.
After a few days, you will have a better handle on how much grass the group requires for a 24-hour grazing period. You can then reduce the daily allocation to suit.
Alternatively, you can opt for moving cattle twice daily to increase grazing control and avoid wasted grass. However, this is more time-consuming and less practical were cattle are grazing on outfarms.
3
Should I spread slurry now or wait? Slurry storage will be under pressure on farms where ground was not suitable for carrying a tanker in February or March. Ideally, you should avoid spreading slurry on heavy grass covers of more than 1,200kg DM/ha, which is around 10cm to 12cm in sward height.
Spreading slurry on heavy covers will delay grazing for at least two to three weeks, should ground conditions improve, and reduce grass utilisation.
The exception to this is when slurry can be applied using a trailing shoe, or dribble bar. Both options place slurry directly on the soil surface, compared with the splash plate which covers the sward, so grazing should not be affected.
If storage reaches capacity and there is no option but to spread slurry as soon as possible, avoid grazing these swards with freshly calved cows
Ideally, slurry should be applied to bare grassland, or once swards have been grazed. Grazing off covers will help to kickstart grass growth and the growth response to nitrogen will be increased.
The downside with later applications of slurry is that the amount of nitrogen available for growth is reduced. However, the amount of P and K available remains the same regardless of spreading date.
If storage reaches capacity and there is no option but to spread slurry as soon as possible, avoid grazing these swards with freshly calved cows.
Slurry is high in K (potash) which inhibits magnesium uptake in swards and increases the risk of tetany in these animals.
Can I close off grazing for early silage?
On farms where grazing swards have heavy covers present, but turnout dates are realistically around mid to late April, it is likely these swards will get too far ahead of cattle and head out before they can be grazed off.
Once grass heads out, the feed value falls and so will cattle performance and sward utilisation.
Therefore, consider the option of making an early cut of baled silage in late April or early May.
Keep grazing blocks small and move cattle frequently to avoid animals from becoming unsettled and trampling swards.
However, you must first ensure there is still sufficient grazing available for cattle until these paddocks can rejoin the grazing rotation.
By strip-grazing, or controlled grazing as outlined earlier, you will be in a much better position to judge the grazing demand of cattle and whether you can take out paddocks for silage.
Taking out paddocks for silage is an extremely effective way to bring the grazing rotation back under control.
An added benefit is that the regrowth will provide high-quality grazing that can boost milk production and fertility in spring-calving cows.
The key factor to this option is that silage must be made early. Do not be tempted to close off grazing swards in April and delay cutting date until June to coincide with the main crop of first-cut silage.
Delaying the cutting date significantly reduces silage quality and there is also the risk of running out of grazed grass. Therefore, target a cutting date of no later than the first week of May.
If I opt for an early cut of silage, should I apply fertiliser to grazing swards?
To increase silage yields, swards can be fertilised but at much lower rates to avoid the risk of high levels of residual nitrogen in silage which inhibits fermentation.
Therefore, apply no more than 50 units/acre of nitrogen on productive ryegrass swards.
Reduce this to between 35 and 40 units/acre for older swards.
Nitrogen uptake will be higher in young swards with higher levels of ryegrass compared with older swards. Uptake is also increased with rising soil and air temperatures.
Rule of thumb
However, as a rule of thumb for ryegrass swards, assume that two units of nitrogen will be utilised daily.
Wilting to a dry matter of 35% to 40% will also prevent bales from sagging
At the outlined fertiliser rates, this means a cutting date of approximately 25 days after nitrogen is applied.
Wilting grass for a 24-hour period before baling will also reduce residual nitrogen, thereby improving fermentation and silage quality.
Wilting to a dry matter of 35% to 40% will also prevent bales from sagging.
Should I start topping swards that are not grazed out fully?
Swards that have not been grazed out properly can reduce the rate of growth in the next rotation, as well as negatively affecting sward quality.
However, during April and May, this should not be an issue as there is no risk of residual grass heading out.
To improve grass utilisation, you should consider reducing the grazing areas as outlined in option two as this will force cattle to clean out swards
Therefore, it is not necessary to start topping swards until June, when grass heading out becomes more of an issue.
To improve grass utilisation, you should consider reducing the grazing areas as outlined in option two as this will force cattle to clean out swards.
However, limit grazing time to no more than 48 hours for every grazing allocation to maximise utilisation.
Leaving cattle for a longer period can make animals unsettled and affect performance, as they are grazing a higher proportion of stem and swards will be soiled at this point.
As stocking rates increase as more animals are turned out, livestock demand for grass will naturally rise which also helps to clean out swards.
Where cattle have to be moved on before a paddock is fully cleaned out, the residual grass can be cleaned off in the next rotation.
Read more
Tullamore Farm: calving cows and hitting targets
West remains suckler stronghold as cow numbers dip below 1m
Mild temperatures over the autumn and winter have led to heavy grass covers accumulating on many beef farms.
While having plenty of grass is never a bad problem, several farmers have been asking how they can best utilise these covers once cattle are turned out later in spring.
Heavy grass covers can be difficult to manage. Cattle can waste grass if they are given unrestricted access to swards as in a set-stocking situation through trampling and soiling.
For some farmers, heavy grass covers mean there are limited paddocks that can take slurry and they are waiting until swards have been grazed off before spreading.
Other farmers in a similar position have asked about the merits of closing off grazing ground and taking an early cut of silage.
The same issues are cropping up on numerous farms, regardless of whether they operate on dry or heavier land.
Where farmers working on drier land managed to get some cattle out to grass in February to start grazing off heavy covers, the winter-like weather during March led to animals being rehoused, putting grazing on hold.
However, early applications of chemical fertiliser and slurry kickstarted grass growth on these farms, and covers are starting to build again.
For farmers working on heavier land, turnout dates are more realistically late April to early May.
The issue on these farms is that grass covers will get too far ahead of cattle and become even more difficult to manage. Outlined as follows are some options for getting grazing management back under control this spring.
Following some, or all of the outlined options, will make the most of spring grass and thereby improve animal performance.
1
How should I manage turnout? Early turnout does not mean letting every animal, or large groups of cattle, out to grass at the same time.
Turning big numbers out at the same time can make ground conditions more difficult to manage during a wet spell.
Also, grazing demand will be running well ahead of grass growth and there is the risk of running out of grass if you have not carried out some form of grazing budget.
Prioritise cattle for turnout and plan out a rotation for these animals. Start off by turning out small groups of lighter store heifers, ideally those that will go to the bull in May or June.
An early turnout means these animals will benefit from compensatory growth and are more likely to reach weight targets once breeding starts.
Turning these animals out first means they will be settled and adjusted to a grazing diet well in advance of the breeding season, thereby improving conception rates.
Yearling bullocks, or autumn bull calves should be next to go to grass. These animals will be light and inflict less damage to swards if ground conditions are marginal.
While there is an urgency to get freshly calved cows and calves out to grass, remember that these animals are heavier and will be harder on ground if conditions under foot remain soft.
Start by filtering spring-calving cows out to grass slowly. Once you are confident that ground conditions are improving, you can increase turnout rate.
Ideally, target a field that will be reseeded this spring when turning out cows as it is less of an issue if poaching occurs.
Autumn-calving cows should be the last group to turn out. Cows that calved last August, September or October can remain housed for a longer period, as turnout to grass will do little to boost milk production at this point in their lactation curve.
August- and September-calving cows can be weaned by early April, with their calves allowed out to grass.
Dry cows can be turned out at a later stage once ground conditions and grass growth improves. This prevents dry cows competing with higher-priority animals for grass in late March and early April.
2
What is the best way to graze heavy swards? If cattle are given unrestricted access to heavy covers of grass swards, there will be a high level of waste from trampling, soiling and lying.
When grazing heavy swards, think of electric wire, reels and temporary posts as your best friends. Use moveable, temporary electric fences to split paddocks and reduce grazing areas.
This will allow cattle to clean out swards fully and prevent animals from wasting grass through trampling.
Another benefit of controlling the size of the grazing area is that you will be better equipped to judge if you can take grazing swards out for silage.
Strip grazing also works well, provided the fence is moved at the same time every day. However, be sure to give a large enough grazing allocation to prevent cattle from running out of grass and breaking the wire as they become unsettled.
Therefore, when strip grazing, start off by offering cattle a much bigger grass allocation than needed.
After a few days, you will have a better handle on how much grass the group requires for a 24-hour grazing period. You can then reduce the daily allocation to suit.
Alternatively, you can opt for moving cattle twice daily to increase grazing control and avoid wasted grass. However, this is more time-consuming and less practical were cattle are grazing on outfarms.
3
Should I spread slurry now or wait? Slurry storage will be under pressure on farms where ground was not suitable for carrying a tanker in February or March. Ideally, you should avoid spreading slurry on heavy grass covers of more than 1,200kg DM/ha, which is around 10cm to 12cm in sward height.
Spreading slurry on heavy covers will delay grazing for at least two to three weeks, should ground conditions improve, and reduce grass utilisation.
The exception to this is when slurry can be applied using a trailing shoe, or dribble bar. Both options place slurry directly on the soil surface, compared with the splash plate which covers the sward, so grazing should not be affected.
If storage reaches capacity and there is no option but to spread slurry as soon as possible, avoid grazing these swards with freshly calved cows
Ideally, slurry should be applied to bare grassland, or once swards have been grazed. Grazing off covers will help to kickstart grass growth and the growth response to nitrogen will be increased.
The downside with later applications of slurry is that the amount of nitrogen available for growth is reduced. However, the amount of P and K available remains the same regardless of spreading date.
If storage reaches capacity and there is no option but to spread slurry as soon as possible, avoid grazing these swards with freshly calved cows.
Slurry is high in K (potash) which inhibits magnesium uptake in swards and increases the risk of tetany in these animals.
Can I close off grazing for early silage?
On farms where grazing swards have heavy covers present, but turnout dates are realistically around mid to late April, it is likely these swards will get too far ahead of cattle and head out before they can be grazed off.
Once grass heads out, the feed value falls and so will cattle performance and sward utilisation.
Therefore, consider the option of making an early cut of baled silage in late April or early May.
Keep grazing blocks small and move cattle frequently to avoid animals from becoming unsettled and trampling swards.
However, you must first ensure there is still sufficient grazing available for cattle until these paddocks can rejoin the grazing rotation.
By strip-grazing, or controlled grazing as outlined earlier, you will be in a much better position to judge the grazing demand of cattle and whether you can take out paddocks for silage.
Taking out paddocks for silage is an extremely effective way to bring the grazing rotation back under control.
An added benefit is that the regrowth will provide high-quality grazing that can boost milk production and fertility in spring-calving cows.
The key factor to this option is that silage must be made early. Do not be tempted to close off grazing swards in April and delay cutting date until June to coincide with the main crop of first-cut silage.
Delaying the cutting date significantly reduces silage quality and there is also the risk of running out of grazed grass. Therefore, target a cutting date of no later than the first week of May.
If I opt for an early cut of silage, should I apply fertiliser to grazing swards?
To increase silage yields, swards can be fertilised but at much lower rates to avoid the risk of high levels of residual nitrogen in silage which inhibits fermentation.
Therefore, apply no more than 50 units/acre of nitrogen on productive ryegrass swards.
Reduce this to between 35 and 40 units/acre for older swards.
Nitrogen uptake will be higher in young swards with higher levels of ryegrass compared with older swards. Uptake is also increased with rising soil and air temperatures.
Rule of thumb
However, as a rule of thumb for ryegrass swards, assume that two units of nitrogen will be utilised daily.
Wilting to a dry matter of 35% to 40% will also prevent bales from sagging
At the outlined fertiliser rates, this means a cutting date of approximately 25 days after nitrogen is applied.
Wilting grass for a 24-hour period before baling will also reduce residual nitrogen, thereby improving fermentation and silage quality.
Wilting to a dry matter of 35% to 40% will also prevent bales from sagging.
Should I start topping swards that are not grazed out fully?
Swards that have not been grazed out properly can reduce the rate of growth in the next rotation, as well as negatively affecting sward quality.
However, during April and May, this should not be an issue as there is no risk of residual grass heading out.
To improve grass utilisation, you should consider reducing the grazing areas as outlined in option two as this will force cattle to clean out swards
Therefore, it is not necessary to start topping swards until June, when grass heading out becomes more of an issue.
To improve grass utilisation, you should consider reducing the grazing areas as outlined in option two as this will force cattle to clean out swards.
However, limit grazing time to no more than 48 hours for every grazing allocation to maximise utilisation.
Leaving cattle for a longer period can make animals unsettled and affect performance, as they are grazing a higher proportion of stem and swards will be soiled at this point.
As stocking rates increase as more animals are turned out, livestock demand for grass will naturally rise which also helps to clean out swards.
Where cattle have to be moved on before a paddock is fully cleaned out, the residual grass can be cleaned off in the next rotation.
Read more
Tullamore Farm: calving cows and hitting targets
West remains suckler stronghold as cow numbers dip below 1m
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