What a difference a week makes! As I write this week’s update the weather forecast is talking about 18 or 19 deg C here in the West of Ireland tomorrow and Monday. Soil Temperatures are now into double figures. Aren’t we all relieved that it came when it did? Perfect timing, as most Spring Rotation Planners had been adjusted to delay the start of the second round until 10-15th of April. To do this, supplementation levels have in most cases already exceeded total 2010 budget. In addition to the financial burden of this, most guys I talk to are concerned about BCS in the countdown to breeding and total herd production as peak production time approaches
Second Rotation
For those farms now on the final days of the first rotation with high levels of supplementation in the diet (both silage and concentrates), the temptation especially on these fine days, is to open the gates and delve into the second round. However, on most farms the brakes need to be kept on for another few days to allow better PGY to develop. In the past few days, the highest second rotation PGY that I have seen was 600kg available/ha. More typically, 2nd round PGY’s are at 400 to 500 kg. In one case, the first paddock on 2nd round was at 480kg/ha on Friday. The plan on this farm is to make the last few ha’s of the first round last until Tuesday 13th. The expectation is that given the forecast, these paddocks will add 50kg per day to give a PGY of 680. He is prepared to start the second round on such covers but with 4kg of concentrate per cow still in the diet for a week or ten days to allow a wedge to develop.
Second rotation grass looks excellent everywhere. We had excellent grazing conditions throughout February and most of March so there is no excuse for not having super quality grass to present to herds from now on.
The question being asked by those about to start their 2nd rotation is – how fast to go? Normally a 20 day round is advised. This assumes an even shaped wedge of grass. However this year, with all wedges being so flat as we had no growth until after St Patrick’s Day, it is prudent to target a 25 day round initially, but monitor and adjust based on your own measured growth rates (not your neighbour’s!)Continue to supplement to fill the gap if 1/25th of the farm is not sufficient area to fully feed the cows. If silage is no longer required then a cheap energy supplement such as Citrus Pulp will suffice up to a maximum feeding level of 4 or 5kg per day. Some merchants sell Citrus with Cal Mag added. This might be worth exploring this year.
Unfortunately there are some farmers who for whatever reason, did not get out grazing early enough. As a result they still have lots of the farm to graze. These “brown” paddocks are now turning green at the top but will be very difficult to graze out properly. Regrowths on the paddocks that they have grazed are now up to 400-500kg available DM/ha. These farms are in danger, under current weather conditions of getting into a surplus situation in the next 10-15 days. If you are in this situation you need to “open the gates” a.s.a.p and get moving quickly around the farm with as much stock and as little supplement as possible. As ever, each guy has to measure, budget and react to his own individual situation
Feed Wedge
Closing for silage is not an option on milking platforms as yet, but options may emerge in a week or two. However at this point each guy needs to be calculating his target Pre Grazing Cover as wedges develop, so that decision re skipping paddocks (either for silage or reseeding) can be made in a timely fashion as soon as the wedge suggests and not a week or two later. Remember the formula for calculating your Target Pre-Grazing Cover is –
(Cow Intake x Stocking Rate x Ideal Rotation Length) + Residual = Target Pre-Grazing Cover
Nitrogen
Keep up to date with N. Follow the cows with 25-30 units/acre in most if not all Stocking Rate situations. All the variables outside our control have come good. DO NOT fall behind on N and miss the potential growth or indeed the compensatory growth that some are predicting. Given that silage stocks are gone and based on the weather patterns of the past 3 years, all or any surpluses need to be banked. We can deal with surpluses if they arise by reacting to our feed wedges. Nobody wants the stress or cost associated with deficit. Nitrogen remains one of the best value for money inputs we have.
Reseeding Plan
Do you have one? Can you afford not to have one? Mid- April to mid- June is recognised as the best time to get the job done. Despite being out of action for these 2 months a reseeded paddock will grow more DM in 2010 than if it were left intact.
What varieties to use?
We need to take the same approach to selecting our grass varieties as we do our bulls. The day of buying the Co-op “Special Mix” are long gone I hope. There is excellent research been done on the traits of the various varieties. It’s very much a horses for courses as regards your goals for each particular paddock. Consider Soil type, susceptibly to poaching, all grazing or some silage. Look at variety heading dates etc
Finally, enjoy the good weather and watching the grass grow. You deserve it after a very difficult 12 months
