Grass growth averaged 72kg DM/day on farms over the last week. This is a high growth rate for this time of year with the 10-year average closer to 62kg DM/day.

The high growth rates are a result of higher than normal soil temperatures and levels of sunshine for the past week. The showers of rain have sorted out the soil moisture deficit in most of the country but areas in the southeast and southwest continue to have deficits of over 50mm and grass growth is still slower in these areas.

The focus should still be on managing grass quality and holding the cover/Lu on farm around 180kg DM/Lu. However in the next two weeks our focus on farm will need to shift slightly as we start planning on building covers for the autumn grazing period. You should not be building grass yet but putting a plan in place.

The plan is to build grass between the middle of August and the middle of September. In most years this is the last period where grass growth will be greater than demand. So building grass during this period is essential to extending the grazing season and the amount of grass grown and utilized on farms.

From around 10 to 15 August your cover/Lu should be between 200 to 250kg DM/Lu depending on your stocking rate. Having a stocking rate between 2.5 and 3.5 Lu/ha will be needed to build grass.

Farms stocked above 3.5 Lu/ha with no additional land to come back in may need to reduce demand. Removing young stock to an outside block may be an option. Getting rid of cull cows, poor performing cows or high somatic cell count cows is another way to reduce demand. Increasing supplementation is also an option if highly stocked.

We also need to be extending the rotation length. Most farmers are on a 21-day rotation at the moment and this should be extended to a 25-day rotation by mid August.

Grass growth averaged 72kg DM/day

Put a plan in place to start building grass from mid-August

Aim to have a stocking rate of less than 3.5 Lu/ha come mid-August

Extend your rotation length out to 25 days by mid-August