Grass growth, especially in the south and southeast is now becoming a big problem – even on moderately stocked farms.

With growth well below demand in many instances, decisions need to be made now before grass supplies run out.

Many beef farmers have almost all fertiliser reserves spread at this stage and there seems to be little appetite to go back out and purchase more at the moment.

Where this is the case however, the approach to stocking rates for autumn will have to be adjusted.

Reducing the grazing pressure is the only option to reduce demand at this point – unless some second cut silage ground is about to come back into the grazing equation in the coming week to 10 days.

Where cattle are usually finished off-grass, go through them now and identify the ones that will finish in the coming three to four weeks and those that are going to struggle to make it by the end of the grazing season.

From here decide what is the best approach for your farm.

Depending on the type of stock, selling in the mart is currently a very good option. Both finished, and short keep animals are in high demand – especially for Angus types.

So on farms that usually go directly to slaughter, it is worth considering this option.

Lighter, grazing type cattle are that bit easier ringside over the last fortnight, again due to a lack of grass putting buyers off purchasing the same numbers as usual.

It is therefore probably best to keep these types on where possible and sell more forward stock.

For spring-born suckler herds, prioritise the best grass on the farm to weanlings and allow them to forward creep graze where possible.

Where these animals are destined for weanlings sales in autumn, introducing some creep feed now may help maintain thrive and be well worthwhile come the day of the sale.

Farmers

Matthew Murphy – Newford Herd, Athenry

We have been getting enough rain to keep grass growing here. Almost the entire farm is available for grazing, so we are starting to build covers for autumn.

The plan is to wean the calves in early-September and move the cows to the out-farm, leaving the best available grass for the weanlings.

The cows were scanned last week with 68 out of 75 in calf, a 9% empty rate, while 21 of 23 heifers were scanned in-calf. The breeding season for heifers was six and a half weeks while for the cows it was 10 weeks.

Twenty heifers were drafted off grass three weeks ago at 17.5 months of age and averaged 290kg carcase at an average grade of R-3=.

A further 11 heifers and four bullocks will be slaughtered off grass early next week.

System Suckler to beef

Soil type Mostly dry

Farm cover (kg DM/ha) 730

Growth (kg DM/ha/day) 56

Demand (kg DM/ha/day) 51

Niall O’Meara – Killimor, Co Galway

I have plenty of grass on the farm. I took out some surplus paddocks this week. It should be the last of the silage depending on what I do with the red clover silage ground.

I have enough silage in the yard at this stage, so I may graze it at 8-10cm.

Calving has started with 12 cows calved. There were two losses at the start but things have gone better since.

Cows are in perhaps too good condition, but grass allocation is a balancing act in the final few weeks. One of the losses was from a cow that had summer mastitis which has been an issue this year.

The yearling bulls are to be sold in the coming week, they are averaging just over 500kg and I usually sell them in one batch privately off the farm.

System Suckler to weanling

Soil type Variable

Farm cover (kg DM/ha) 1,082

Growth (kg DM/ha/day) 41

Demand (kg DM/ha/day) 36

Shaun Diver – Tullamore Farm, Co Offaly

We seem to be just missing any rain that is falling at the moment. With growth down into the teens it is well below demand, so I have started feeding hay to the cows at grass to slow the rotation.

The focus at the moment is trying to maintain performance in the calves. In order to do that, calves are being creep grazed and creep fed ahead of the cows, but they are just starting to pick at the meal at this point.

They are starting to spend more time grazing out ahead of the cows, which I find helps at weaning time as the cow-calf bond has been broken.

Best covers are being offered to finishing lambs at the moment in order to try and get as many off the farm as soon as possible so grass can be given to the ewes pre-breeding.

System Suckler to beef

Soil type Variable

Farm cover (kg DM/ha) 464

Growth (kg DM/ha/day) 18

Demand (kg DM/ha/day) 34