This is a subscriber-only article
The final round of the grazing season is proving difficult across all programme farms as wet weather means only drier paddocks are being grazed and covers are continuing to build on wetter ground. Having cows housed either at night or full-time means grazed grass demand has reduced while fodder supplies are being used and slurry tanks are filling several weeks earlier than usual.
In an ideal autumn, programme farms would have begun the final grazing round at the end of September or start of October and aimed to have 60% 70% of the platform grazed by the end of the month.
However, this is not the case this year and programme farmers who have cows at grass are grazing their driest paddocks. In several cases, this means less than half of the milking platform is available for grazing and subsequent slurry spreading. Heavier covers also hold moisture and reduce drying on saturated land.
Two programme farms are using zero-grazing to utilise heavier covers and free up ground for slurry this week. This is also helping to achieve target residuals as post-grazing clean-outs have been affected by wet conditions.
On other farms, the benefits of good laneways and multiple access points to paddocks have been clear during the challenging autumn.
Covers over 2,000kgDM/ha on wet ground that cannot be grazed by cows could potentially be grazed by young stock or sheep, although achieving target residuals could be difficult. Another option if ground remains wet is to carry grass through and cut for silage in the spring to start growth in 2018.
However, silage quality will be poor and it could be well into the spring before cutting can take place.
All milking cows are grazing during the day and are housed at night and fed good-quality silage. There are 60 freshly calved cows and 32 stale cows that are due to be dried off in the next four weeks.
Average farm cover is 897kgDM/ha and paddocks grazed from 1 October are being closed for the winter and have received slurry.
Wet conditions have meant a planned reseed will be delayed until the spring after eight acres were burnt off last month. This ground would normally be for drystock so the grazing block is to carry 30 dry cows that are due to calve in December.
This has balanced the lower grass demand from the milkers and I should get 70% of the platform grazed by the end of October if conditions stabilise.
A local contractor is being brought in this week to zero-graze some of the heavier covers.
One load will be cut each day and will be fed to milking cows at night. This will free up more ground for slurry and it will also save me time from feeding and allow my attention to focus on calving, which is in full swing on the farm.
Contractors are also being used this week to spread slurry on suitable ground with an umbilical system.
Average farm cover is 1,350kgDM/ha, which is high for the time of year as wet conditions have held back grazing from the start of September. Covers are generally at two extremes: lower covers in drier paddocks that have been grazed or baled and then heavier covers over 1,800kgDM/ha on wetter land.
Cows were out for two grazings last week. However, it is getting hard to find paddocks suitable for the herd. Some covers are too heavy and we have been using the baler to manage these if ground conditions allow.
With three-quarters of the herd calved and in early lactation, persisting with grazing may impact body conditions and increase the risk of poaching. Although this all depends on the weather over the next week or two.
We have had four additional weeks of slurry produced already this year with early housing.
However, slurry is under control on the farm as we have been spreading after silage-making and grazing over the past month.
Other than 30 heifers that are with the contract-rearer, all stock are housed on the farm.
We have been purchasing silage for dry cows to help save good-quality bales for milkers and stretch forage stocks.
Average cover on the farm was 968kgDM/ha last week. Growth is around 30kgDM/day, which is on par with demand. Cows are being fed concentrates at 3kg/cow/day meal, with 14kgDM/cow of grass intakes per day.
Good lanes and paddock access have made a big difference on the farm this autumn.
Before, we struggled to get cows in and out of paddocks when conditions were wet. This year, we can exit at a different point from entry in all paddocks, which limits poaching at gaps.
Cows had to be housed last Wednesday and Thursday as ground conditions deteriorated. I have been keeping a close eye on the cows when out grazing and will take them off if weather changes to minimise the damage to ground. A small area has been poached but it should recover for cows calving in the spring.
Cow body conditions are good and yields are holding at 15.5 litres at 4.39% butterfat and 3.82% protein. Silage is fed when cows are housed, but taken out again if I can get a few grazings together.
The slurry situation on the farm is fine, with tanks almost empty.
Slurry mostly went on after silage and ground conditions have been too wet recently for any spreading after grazing.
More than 1,000ha damaged by floods in NI
SHARING OPTIONS: