Slurry season

The slurry season opens up again this week in Zones A and B. Zone A, which comprises counties Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow opened up on Monday 13 January.

Zone B, which includes counties Clare, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath opens up on Thursday 16 January, while Zone C which encompasses counties Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan doesn’t open up until Saturday 1 February. Under cross compliance rules, if land is waterlogged or heavy rain is forecast, slurry can’t be spread.

Aim slurry for silage fields and fields that are low in P and K.

Don’t keep spreading it on the field closest to the yard. Mix tanks well, don’t be tempted to just take the water. Aim to agitate tanks on a windy day and try to make sure sheds have no cattle in them when agitating.

Never enter a shed while agitating and make sure all tanks are closed once the job is complete.

Fresh feed

Where animals are on a high level of feed or are being fed ad-lib, it is essential that troughs are kept clean at all times. Where feeding a total mixed ration, don’t discharge fresh feed out on top of stale feed.

For animals on high-concentrate diets, it’s important that diets don’t change suddenly, as this can cause digestive upsets and really hit thrive.

Keep an eye on meal levels, and make sure to order in time so you don’t run out or have to change the meal for a few days. Make sure animals are getting adequate roughage and take note of feed intakes.

Calf focus

This week sees Part 1 of a 15-page calf focus in the paper. There continues to be a lot of interest in calf purchasing and rearing. The best calf-rearing farms have a similar theme: they do the simple things well.

If you are thinking of rearing calves, make sure you have the right facilities to rear them. Store cattle and weanlings are a good trade at the moment, but do your budget on what you can afford to pay for calves.

We’ll cover more on the finances of the dairy beef system in next week’s Focus.

Suckler Marts spring roadshow

Next week sees the Irish Farmers Journal suckler marts spring roadshow roll into Skibbereen Mart in Co Cork. The event will take place on Thursday 23 January and will kick off at 7pm.

The outlook for the beef and suckler sectors will be covered on the night, along with a presentation from a local vet on dosing and winter health and keeping calves and weanlings healthy. The Irish Farmers Journal livestock team will be there to answer any questions that you may have.

A live demo with suckler cows and AI bred calves will take place in association with Munster Bovine.

The following week we are heading to Granard Mart in Co Longford on Thursday 30 January. Admission is free and there will be a free raffle on the night for all those attending. Tea/Coffee and refreshments will be served after the event.