It will come as a welcome relief to many that the forecast for next week is to see a rise in temperatures.

Some farms across the country have already started the second rotation, with others due to start in the coming days.

The cold weather over the last week had seen growth rates drop from previous weeks and, in turn, grass is becoming scarce on some farms.

Watch the average farm cover

A weekly grass walk at this time of the year will help assess what grass is available and how regrowths are coming on.

Preventing the average farm cover (AFC) from falling below 550kg DM/ha is extremely important in avoiding a shortage of grass in the coming weeks.

12-hour grazing allocations.

Reducing the amount of grass allocated in the diet will reduce the daily demand and help to stop the AFC from falling too low.

If there is a shortage coming, use some of the following options:

  • Increase meal fed to stock, reducing grass intake.
  • If that’s not enough, introduce high-quality silage.
  • If you have the option of bringing in more land to the grazing block temporarily, do so (graze silage ground a second time?).

    • Residuals

    The dry conditions have been a huge help with achieving residuals of 3.5cm to 4cm.

    This will ensure quality grass for the next round and into the grazing season.

    As growth rates rise over the next week and pre-grazing covers are higher, achieving target residuals will become more of a challenge.