Fertiliser

Most farmers have a 5% increase in their nitrogen allowance for 2024. This follows a reversal of earlier statements by the Department of Agriculture that a 5% cut in maximum N allowances would be imposed for 2024.

This means that most farmers stocked above 170kg N/ha have an extra 10kg to 14kg N/ha allowance, and this should be utilised to grow more grass.

Grass growth rates are recovering well in most places, but continue to be lower than normal in southern and eastern counties. The key thing is to drive on growth, and the extra nitrogen should be a big help in this regard.

Soil nitrogen levels are said to remain low, and the contribution of clover appears to be less than normal for the time of year.

Farmers should work out how much N they have in their old allowance and then add 5%. It’s important to cross check against how much has already been applied to work out how much there is left to apply this season.

Farmers can log on to the National Fertiliser Database on agfood.ie to see their opening stock and purchases, and cross-reference this with what stocks are in the yard.

Bloat

With grass growth rates on the up, we could be heading into a high risk period for bloat. Thinking back to this time last year when weather patterns were similar, many herds experienced issues with bloat, so be wary.

The highest risk paddocks are those with high clover contents and lush grass. Fields that have been recently reseeded are at particular risk, as are fields with red and white clover in the sward.

In these situations, farmers should make sure all the cows enter the field at the one time and cannot gorge themselves. A 12-hour wire will help to prevent that, but a short break for two or three hours will be a better prevention.

Putting bloat oil into the water is another tool to reduce risks, and this should be put into the water before cows enter the high risk paddock. Feeding a bit of long fibre such as grass silage is another prevention tool.

Drainage

I have seen a good few track machines out working in fields over the last few weeks. Shallow drains of 1m deep connected to a bigger drain will help remove water from wet spots, usually caused by springs.

Depending on the soil type, it might be necessary to run mole ploughs across these shallow drains to create a path for water to move through. Filling these shallow drains to the surface with stone is usually not needed, as the topsoil is usually permeable.

Only where there are compacted hollows will filling to the surface be required. These severely compacted areas may need some mechanical intervention to break up the surface compaction. Another important task is improving grazing infrastructure through extending roadways, building spur roads and making new gaps into paddocks off roadways.

Spur roads can be the difference between getting cows out or not. The most effective I’ve seen are about 1m wide with the topsoil dug up and stoned to the surface, meaning tractors and mowers can work over them.