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Winter housing is now underway as farmers look to protect ground from poaching as heavy rainfall becomes more frequent.
Forward stores, autumn-calving cows and spring-born bulls destined for intensive finishing are the first choice animals for housing on most farms.
As ground gets wet and harder to manage, swards are more prone to poaching as cattle become more unsettled.
Using a back fence to protect grazed areas and moving cattle to the next paddock early can limit the amount of poaching in wet conditions.
Pro-active
Low dry matter grass has little feed value. Rather than introducing meal, or increasing concentrate levels to offset wet grass, higher priority cattle are better off being housed to maintain performance.
Rather than holding all cattle outside until the last possible moment, start the housing process now by bringing small groups inside on a frequent basis, utilising windows of dry weather.
Not only will this relieve the pressure on wet paddocks, it is easier to monitor smaller groups of cattle as they settle into the shed.
Lighter cattle that will inflict less ground damage can remain at grass. However, do not force cattle to clean out paddocks fully if ground conditions are marginal.
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