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As July gets underway and the grazing season enters the second half of the year, the focus on grass and stock management will change.
While there is always a range of jobs to carry out on livestock farms, outlined are five tasks that may be applicable during July.
1. Topping grass swards and fertiliser
Topping swards that headed out in June will ensure good quality grass is available on the grazing platform in July.
Grass growth is on the rise following cold weather in mid-June and ground conditions are improving. That should make it possible to get onto paddocks and top headed out grass.
Top down to 4cm in sward height, then apply 25 to 30 units per acre of nitrogen to stimulate regrowth. On light soils, using a product with sulphur can boost growth rates.
2. Worm and fly control
Keep on top of parasite control in calves, stores, replacements and first calving heifers. All animals should have dosed at least once by early July.
Fly burdens are also on the rise with warm and humid conditions. Take steps to prevent summer mastitis in dry cows, as well as in-calf and maiden heifers.
Pour-ons and insecticides usually provide effective control. But other methods like garlic licks, fly repellent ear tags and not grazing these animals in areas with stagnant water or trees also work.
Clipping tails at the same time as worming is recommended to improve hygiene around the hindquarter and udder.
3. Mid-season weighing
Weighing store cattle in July will give a good handle on which animals are likely to kill off grass in autumn, which animals to potentially sell live and which animals to house for winter.
Use this info to split out cattle destined for finishing off grass for priority grazing and meal feeding. Don’t leave these animals to compete for grass with lighter cattle that will need housing over winter.
4. Feeding pre-calving minerals to autumn calving cows
On farms with autumn calving cows, introduce pre-calving minerals during July. Feeding a good quality mineral can reduce problems at calving time, especially in cows that will calve at grass in August and September.
5. Creep grazing calves
Creep grazing will not be for everyone. It requires good electric fencing and patience. But when it works, it is a great way to drive weight gain in calves.
Start off small and just fence off a headland or a corner of a paddock to get calves used to creeping ahead of cows. Use a temporary electric wire with a good charge running through it.
By starting with a small area, calves don’t go too far ahead of cows, keeping their dam settled. It will also be easier to hunt calves back to the cows if necessary.
To let calves creep below the fence, raise the wire at a couple of points. Taping two pig tail posts together will give the extra bit of height as needed.
Alternatively, raise the wire where the reel attaches to the field boundary. Once calves are used to creeping ahead, give them a bigger area of fresh grass to graze each day.
Meal can be fed in lightweight troughs later in summer and is much more practical in a paddock set-up compared to a static ad-lib creep feeder.
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