My last update began with the expectation of high growth after a period of rain. Indeed, growth rates did take off at the beginning of last week with many farms recording figures >100 kgDM/ha/day. However as the week progressed these growths declined again as the lack of soil moisture began to take its toal with levels reducing to circa 60 kgDM/ha/day. Mid-day soil temperatures range from 19 degrees plus in the South and South-West, to 16 degrees in the remainder of the country. At these levels, it is indicative of a long period of warm dry weather which can effect nitrogen utilisation and growth. However it seems that we have come a full circle again and I find myself preparing farmers for another surge in growth after the recent rain. The weather forecast for the coming week suggest a welcomed balance of rain and heat - ideal for continued high growths. The recommendations at this time are echoes of the past two updates, so have a quick read of them to refresh your self – with one addition – first cut cutting date is now closer than before (if not already cut), therefore, with the expected high growth rates, it should be possible to increase demand higher (70-75 kgDM/ha/day in some cases) for the short period until first cut aftergrass returns.

Back to Urea?
The heading raises the question and I think the answer is yes - temporarily at least. There is no doubt that the drought curtailed the utilisation of CAN in the past 2-3 weeks, and from what I have seen the problem was exasperated when Urea was used. There has been enough of recent rainfall to allow for the efficient use of urea - so why not take this opportunity to make a saving until dryer conditions prevail again. Lighter stock farms may have their first cut silage already cut and are now in a position to close ground for second cut - apply Urea instead of CAN now in these areas.

While on the subject of fertiliser, it is well worth to mention Sulphar. It is recognised that many counties in Ireland, especially those dominated by lighter sandy soils with low organic matter, would benefit from Sulphar application. Such soils can experience a significant increase in DM production when Sulphar is applied especially during the Summer - approximately 20 units/ac should suffice. A quick word of caution for those in low copper/high molybdenum areas - sulphar is antagonistic and can cause copper deficiency.

Dry matter % and aftergrass
Aftergrass from the first cut will be returning to the grazing platform very soon. Your weekly farm walk will tell you how quickly it is recovering - generally it should return to the farm cover calculations when it is in the range of 400-600 kgDM/ha. - introducing a large area it at this range prevents a big jump in the average farm cover. It is best to clip and weigh some of the aftergrass paddocks to help to calibrate your eye - often aftergrass looks strong from a distance but is thin on the ground. It is also prudent to lower the suggested % dry matter of the aftergrass
by 1-2 units compared to the grass on the platform when measuring. The lower % DM in aftergrass is often an reason for a slight drop in cow performance especially if grazed in the wet weather. If this is the case it is advisable to alternate grazings between aftergrass paddocks and existing grass on the platform - however be mindful to keep residency in each paddock below 3 grazings if possible.

Reproductive tillers in the sward
The drive of perennial ryegrass to reproduce was also evident in the past week with flag leafs and some seed heads emerging. it is almost inevitable that this will happen and that some stem is part of the grazing horizon at this time of the year. It is critical not to relax the grazing pressure at this time - the grazing height must be below the emerging seed heads to remove them for good. If you continue to graze to 3.5-4cm then you guarantee a leafy vegetative sward in subsequent rotations. If you are grazing more laxly, be prepared for continued stem in the grazing horizon. Which do you think is more beneficial? Topping is an option, only if the "toplink" is tightened up and the topping height is consistently <4cm.

The strong North winds of the past ten days or have driven the ash cloud our direction again. We can also blame it for the lower than budgeted Growth Rates that are being experienced right across the UK and Ireland at the moment. Most farms that I have been on in the past ten days are growing 45-55 Kg DM/day. Historical growth rates on these farms for the first half of May have been in the 65-80 kg DM/day bracket.

How to react?

If these lower growth rates are also your experience, how are you going to react? Every farm is different so there is no “silver bullet” advice that will fit all farms. If you are growing less than Herd Demand – true of most highly stocked farms at the moment – the traditional response is to introduce some supplement in the form of concentrates. Skipped paddocks that are not yet baled are the cheapest form of supplement available in this case. This will be the most profitable option. However if grass cover in these paddocks exceeds 1900kg available (3400 total cover) then utilisation may not be optimum and a cheap energy supplement such as citrus may represent your best short-term option. Personally, if the grass is under my nose and the citrus is at the end of the phone and a cheque is required to get it to the cow’s throat, I would always do my utmost to supplement with grass. If the paddock looks messy afterwards, it can always be earmarked for baling later in the season.
If no skipped paddocks can be brought back in to the grazing rotation, then concentrates, in some cases up to 4kg are being fed. In this case, for the week ahead, calculate for your own situation how much concentrate is required so that your new Herd Demand will match the expected, North Wind influenced, Growth Rate. What may be 4kg for your neighbour maybe only 1.5 kg for you depending on stocking rate and growth potential of the farm.

If breeding is underway for a couple of weeks already, perhaps served maiden heifers could be moved off to an out-farm to reduce Demand on the milking platform. This is not an option on most farms in the Northern half of the country as they have mostly only commenced breeding in the past 7-10 days.
As I said at the onset, every farm is different. In most cases a combination of 2 or 3 of the strategies outlined above will bridge the current gap between Herd Demand and Growth Rate (Supply). Decide what is best for your farm and act decisively. Keep focussed on your Target Pre-Grazing Yield and try to offer this to the cows at all times to ensure optimum intakes.

Grazing Conditions

It may be colder than we’d like but the dry conditions are certainly welcome. Farmers in the West of Ireland in particular had forgotten what a dry May was like having endured very difficult conditions at this time for the past few years. Grass utilisation is – or should be – excellent, on every farm. Despite this, I notice some farmers are taking their eye off the ball as regards post-grazing residuals. However, on the majority of farms, graze-outs continue to be excellent and cows are quite happy to take residuals down to Zero (or lower – 1450 total cover), with no adverse effects on cow performance or condition. Excellent grass quality is assured for the next grazing. Topping will not be on the “To Do” list on these farms, keeping their costs and workloads lower.

Grass DM%

The ongoing Dry weather is lifting Grass Dry Matter % higher than would normally be expected for May. Figures of up to 20% and higher have been mentioned on some days. Most farmers tell me that the cows are confirming this by staying longer than expected in paddocks. Listen to your cows! Bear this DM increase in mind when walking your farms and allocating grass to cows.

Weather Forecast

I am always loathe to look for rain. Recent summer experience suggests that once it starts it won’t stop! Most farmers though, are looking skyward in hopeful expectation. Many reseeds are struggling to germinate or tiller. Growth rates are well behind budget as discussed. Silage crops are looking very light. However it does appear that our more familiar South Westerly mild but wetter air flow will return next week. Expect growth rates to surge when it does.

It looks like most farms have “turned the corner”. The bloom is returning to paddocks and growth is now ranging from the high 20’s to the high 30’s in the past week. On these warms sunny days it is estimated that individual paddocks are growing 50+ kgDM/ha/day and even more in reseeded paddocks from 2009. So, not that high growth rates look like remaining for the short term at least, it is time to make some important decisions.

Increasing Demand
First of all what do we mean by the term Demand? This is the amount of grass being removed from the farm on a daily basis, expressed as kgDM/ha/day. It is calculated by the multiplication factor of the number of animals and the amount of grass they eat per day divided by the grazing platform available to them. For example: 100 cows eating 10 kgDM grass/day, as well as 20 bulling heifers eating 6kgDM grass/day on a 30ha grazing platform: (100*14) + (20*6) /30 = Demand of 51 kgDM/ha/day. This is on average the amount of grass eaten off the farm every day. This figure is important when related to the growth on the farm which is expressed in the same units. If the demand is higher than the growth then over time your grass supply on the farm will fall and visa versa.

So why is this relationship so important now? Over the next two of three weeks most farms will begin to close paddocks for silage. This will mean that there is less area available in the grazing platform and therefore the demand will increase. This makes absolute sense in the context of higher growth rates through the remainder of April, May and June. But how high should you bring your demand to? The answer lies with what the farms is able to grow through the same period. If you have a few years of grass measurement data that you should have a good estimate of growth through this period – which emphasises the importance of regular grass measurement. Active growing farms with a good reseeding history can carry a demand of approximately 70kgDM/ha/day through the May/June period, while poorer growing farms with poor grass species may only carry a demand of 55-60 kgDM/ha/day through the same period.
Using the stock numbers above, this means that the active growing farm can afford to close 8ha for silage or reseeding while the poorer growing farm can only afford to close 5ha for silage or reseeding.

There will be a concerted effort this Summer to conserve enough silage to re-fill the pits again. The critical point here is to try to understand the limits of your farm with regard to demand for this first cut period. If you set it too high (well above its ability to grow the same amount) then it is likely you will run out of grass for the grazing animals and will consequently have to reduce demand again by feeding expensive concentrates.

Closing paddocks for silage
Most farmers are now into the 2nd rotation and farm covers are slowly rising. Ideally farm cover should rise to >550 kgDM/ha (but is dependent on stocking rate) before paddocks are formally closed for silage and spread for silage. If these paddocks are grazed, spread as normal after grazing as if they are going to be grazed again. Once farm cover climbs further then the formal decision can be made to close them and top up as necessary.

Increasing intake and daily allowances
Most Spring calving dairy herds should now be allocating 15-16 kgDM/day. If farm cover is increasing and pre-grazing covers are >1000 kgDM/ha, you should be in a position to take away the strip fence and allow for 24-36 hour allocations, especially in these good grazing conditions. Those who have done it are reporting a considerable increase milk solids output, often coinciding with the removal of silage from the diet. However, I am not advocating a relaxation of grazing pressure and graze out of paddocks. It simply means that the cows are sure to fill themselves in 2 out of 3 grazings with the final grazing being asked to reach the residual of 3.5-4cm. This is also sure to benefit the cow in preparation for the imminent breeding season

Dry Matter % of Grass
There have been numerous queries this week regarding dry matter % of grass when clipping and weighing as part of the farm walk. Even though practically all farmers are now in the 2nd rotation, some of the paddocks have been growing since early-mid February, and with the recent dry conditions, this grass is recording a DM% of 20-21%. Grass growing since mid-March is likely to have a lower DM% of 16-18%. These figures are assuming that the grass is relatively dry to touch. Many farm walks are done early in the morning when there is a heavy dew on the grass – expect to further reduce the DM% by 2-3% if this is the case. This is especially evident around the dungpads with cows refusing to touch them. Not a lot can be done I am afraid – over time the grass will use up this nitrogen in the plant.

Overall a good week for dairy farmers, increases in growth, cow performance, and milk price. Lets hope the upwards trends continues into the breeding season. Dare I say it “maybe we could do with a little rain to”…thats enough of that…for another week at least.

The return of low pressure, rain and cold artic winds has been a bit of a kick in the teeth for most farmers in the past week. Up to now there has been some excellent feed budgeting on farm to survive the low growth until temperatures improve. It was a case of dividing the “loafs and fishes” – with the “loafs” being grass supply and the “fishes” being the slowly reducing silage stocks. But now for many, the fish are all gone and silage stocks are empty. On average, Spring calving herds should by now have access to 14-15 kgDM/cow/day – dependent on cow type and calving pattern. This diet should be made up of at least 55-60% forage to prevent to prevent rumen problems like acidosis. Many grass budgets are only allowing for 4-5 kgDM of grass with up to 7 kg concentrate, so, the remainder must be made up of a forage like silage. Unfortunately, for those who have just run out, they must now look outside their own farm to source this forage. While there is an obvious necessity for those with now silage to now go to buy it – there is equally a responsibility on those who have it to sell to make it available, at a reasonable price. So please be sensible in this regard.

So looking forward…another trawl of the weather forecasting websites suggests an improvement from the middle of next week, with higher midday temperatures and more sunshine. Again this should stimulate an improvement in growth. For those with fertiliser to spread – wait until the current cold spell passes and go as soon as the temperatures increase.

It is critical that you are monitoring your grass supply from now on – First step will be to remove the silage from the diet, second will be to lower concentrate inputs – both of which will have a considerable benefit on milk solid %’s, and thirdly will be to prepare for the closure of ground for 1st cut and possibly some reseeding. All these steps are easily decided upon by carrying out a simple grass budget, but once average farm covers return to higher levels – 500-600 kgDM/ha and from the start of the second rotation onwards – many of these decisions can be made from a grass wedge. By then most of the calving is complete, stock numbers are reasonably set hopefully cows will be grazing day and night on a grass dominated diet. The other part of the equation which is necessary for a wedge target line is the planned rotation length for the second rotation. For those who are now starting their 2nd rotation I suggest that you plan for a 26-28 day rotation until growth and overall farm cover improves significantly. For those who will start the 2nd rotation circa 10-12th April I suggest to plan for a 22-24 day rotation – as hopefully these farms will already be heading into a period of improved growth and increasing farm cover.

I have already mentioned reseeding above…while it should not be considered until growth and farm covers improves significantly, you should still be clear in your mind as to which paddocks need reseeding. Be sure to clarify this during your next farm walk. Brown ground after kale or fodder beet may be dry enough for tilling next week so be prepared. Coincidently, I have had a close look at some reseeded paddocks from 2009, especially where the farmer has been disappointed with the subsequent growth. In many cases the “top soil” of the reseeded ground is pale or light brown/grey. These paddocks have been ploughed and ploughed deeply bringing up a sub-surface layer or lower organic matter content and nutrient level. These nutrients and organic matter can be replaced but it take time and money. Bottom line – if you are ploughing be sure that you have a deep top-soil.

Current weather conditions are more reminiscent of a typical January than March and are generating lots of questions at farm level as regards how to manage the first round of grazing. I’ll try to answer some of those questions here. Firstly, let’s look at the positives of the current dry, cold spell. Since May 2007 we’ve experienced three tough years of unusually high rainfall. So, on wet, heavy farms the current dry conditions are presenting one of those rare windows of opportunity to actually achieve desired grazing residuals. Inevitably when the weather does change we will get lots of rain sweeping in from the Atlantic and a return to the difficult grazing conditions to which we’ve become so familiar. Will it be possible then to hit target residuals? Yes, most of the time - for farms with appropriate infrastructure, cow type and management attitude to do so. No – for farms in development, with big heavy cows or management unaccustomed to challenging themselves or the cows in tough conditions. So, I repeat – do not miss this wonderful opportunity to get those residuals right down, removing all decaying material, letting light down to the bottom of the sward and ensuring excellent quality swards in the second and subsequent rotations.

Now, back to the questions! Having cows out and having cows fed are not necessarily the same thing. Many farmers are quite rightly pointing out that AFC is way behind target and growth rates are zero and as such “how can we keep grazing and not run out of grass?” The Spring Rotation Planner is perfect for a Spring such as this. In one example I came across this week, the farmer has readjusted his SRP to take account of zero regrowths on his February grazed paddocks. Originally he had planned to finish the first round on April 5th – this had now been reset to April 15th in order to ensure there is sufficient PGY on the February grazed paddocks when he starts the second round. His revised target for having 66% of the farm grazed is now March 27th as opposed to St Patrick’s Day. While the temptation to slow down (or even stop grazing, as one farmer suggested!) is strong given that there is no growth, remember what it is you are trying to do by having cows out grazing at this time of year. Sure, you are trying to replace silage and concentrates in the cow’s diet with cheap, high quality grass but equally you are trying to open up the farm and activate the swards after a long dormant period over the winter. Think of it as being like pressing a re-set button on a pump or motor.
The other positive of the current spell is that Grass DM% is so high – there is a lot more feed out there than meets the eye or the shears/quadrant and especially the Platemeter!

I’m being repeatedly asked about the High DM “Brown stuff” and its feed quality. Research is telling us that it is 70-79%DMD – far better than Silage. It is all available for grazing in these conditions IF YOU THE MANAGER CHOOSES TO MAKE THE COWS GRAZE IT. If you are leaving this stuff behind in paddocks, effectively your AFC is significantly lower than you measured and as it will be dead and gone by April, a potentially large feed deficit is looming. So the “brown stuff” must be eaten.
Can Dry cows be used to remove this material? Yes is the answer, but it depends on your Stocking Rate and Calving Date and Rate. In the Northern half of the country I have come across farms that are stocked at 2.5 cows/ha or less and only two or three weeks into calving. They are successfully using a mob of Dry cows to fully utilise the higher, browner covers. The milking cows are then offered lower covers and as such are hitting target residuals without having to work terribly hard. The added bonus of this strategy of course is that this week’s Dry Cows will be next week’s milkers and such will be accustomed to grazing to low residuals when they join the milking group.

What will I do if growth doesn’t start soon? Again, a question that I am being asked on a daily basis. It is important that every farmer has a contingency plan for the second half of March. At this stage it is inevitable that there will be higher levels of supplementation required in late-March and early April to stretch out the first round. In most cases, concentrates will be sufficient to do this, but on higher stocked farms with 80% plus of cows calved at this time, it is likely that silage will have to be offered for some of this period. As silage is getting very scare on most farms, what is available should be preserved until later in the month and dry cows or young stock still indoors should be put on straw and concentrates until they can get to grass. Lots of farmer s have already turned their maiden heifers out to grass on out farms. Remaining dry cows will do fine on Straw and something like Soya Hulls + minerals and some Protein. Do you even need all these dry and later calving cows? Consider selling some if feed is scarce.

Keep a close eye on weather forecasts and if a change is coming be sure to have fertiliser out in advance of this and be ready to react to growth when it comes. Remember April 2007? Growth rates in the 70’s and 80’s per day in the first half of April and paddocks being skipped and baled. We’re only three weeks away from April now. Things can change very quickly at this time or year even if it does still feel like January outside. You have been warned!

The continuous inclement weather has brought forward some key decisions for the coming two weeks.

Ground is now saturated, yet farm covers remain too high to close down grazing for the year, with individual paddocks carrying up to 1800kgDM/ha. The question has been raised – why not leave these paddocks over the Winter? These high covers will experience high levels of “die back” or senescence – and will be full of dead material of poor feeding value come early February. They may even be showing signs of die back at the moment but I would much prefer to graze them now with cows coming to the end of their rotation as opposed to asking freshly calved cows in the Spring to graze them and expect these cows to increase and peak output only a few weeks later.

Right through the grazing season I have been emphasising the importance of grazing out paddocks to low residual height so that the base of the sward is clean allowing light to the base stimulating daughter tillers and maximising growth. You have all seen how a heavy cut of first cut silage is always slower to grow back than a lighter cut – the exact same principal applies with carrying high covers over the Winter. Once grazed in the Spring, these paddocks will have poor tiller density and re-growth will be poor reducing grass supply for the second rotation. Bottom line – cover >1200kgDM/ha should not be carried over the Winter.

With suggested increases in October and November milk price, many farmers are now looking to “milk on” – but body condition and Spring calving dates must take priority. As suggested last week, some silage analysis shows low DM, crude protein and digestibility – therefore not a feed to milk from. Grass must remain in the diet – ideally no less than 50% of the diet and therefore On/Off grazing should be the norm these wet days – keep grass in the diet, minimise silage in the diet and minimise poaching.

One of the striking observations made during farm walks last Spring was the differences in the growing state between farms and between individual paddocks on farms. This has also been the observation in the past 10 days. When the question is asked why, the common answer is that slurry was applied after grazing up to the spreading deadline – now these paddocks are very active likely to grow well through December and January. For poorly growing yellow paddocks, be prepared to get slurry out on them once the spreading deadline is lifted in January – especially if these paddocks will be grazed in the second half of the first rotation – equally avoid spreading on the paddocks you will be grazing in the first two weeks of grazing in February.

You should also be considering soil analysis on the farm if you have not already done so. Soil analysis is now more important given the high level of rainfall in the past two years. This rainfall not only leads to leaching of nutrients but also poaching and soil structure damage, which in turn can lead to losses of normally stable nutrients. Analysis of two farms earlier this year showed dramatically lower potassium levels – on farms historically high in potassium! Soil analysis allows you to make informed decisions and allows you to plan and prepare in advance.

While the rain keep coming, it is thankfully bringing mild south westerly wind as well, delaying the expected slow down in growth for late October. Amazingly, the range in growth recorded on farms over the past week is minimal, from 30-34 kgDM/ha/day and was irrespective of location and soil type. So, what growth should we be planning for in November. For the coming week is expected to continue wet and mild again delaying a serious decline in growth. For most of our farms we are budgeting for growth ranging from 25-28kgDM/ha/day for the coming week and reducing weekly to 20, 15, 12, 8 kgDM/ha/day through November.

These predicted November growths are important in the context of the first closed paddocks in October. Above average growth through October now means that the first closed paddocks are growing well with covers ranging from 500-900 depending on when it was closed. So the question arises: What cover will it be at for grazing in early February? Should I graze it again? Considering current cover of 900kgDM/ha, average of 14kgDM/ha/day growth through November and average 4kgDM/ha/day growth through December & January then this paddock should increase cover to 1500 kgDM/ha by the beginning of February. So, should you graze it again. At this point in time, this cover is too advanced – if the expected growths are realised it is not ideal to carry this cover over the Winter. However now is not the time to decide if it is to be grazed again – this decision should be left until the final 10-14 days of the grazing in late November – you will be better placed and better informed then to make the decision.

A common question this week relates to using dry cows to clean out paddocks? In answering this question I am assuming that grass supply is strong and on target – if not then the dry cows should be off the grazing platform. There is the perception that using dry cows to clean off paddocks is bad management. Why? 1. If practised over an extended period of time – body condition can suffer. 2. Residency time in the paddocks is too long seriously affecting the re-growth of the paddock and its ability to grow over Winter. If body condition is monitored and residency time in a paddock is kept to less than 5 grazings – then it is an option. For it to be effective dry cow number must be high so that “the final grazing” is fast. The use of strip wires may also be helpful – but be sure that the current is good especially if the milking cows are nearby.

For those of you with kale, rape or fodder beet crops, it will soon be time to use them, if not already doing so. Do you know what the yield of the crop is? Are you allocating enough dry matter per day and how long will the crop last? Measuring DM yield in these crops takes a similar format to measuring grass DM yield using a quadrant but cut to ground level. It is better however to use a meter square quadrant for this purpose and using the following formula – Weight (grams) x Proportion of DM x 10 to give the yield of DM/ha. Try to measure these crops when it is relatively dry – mainly to stay dry yourself but also to use the standard dry matter percentages of approximately 11% for kale and rape and 13% for fodder beet. Kale crops very considerably across the country. Looking from outside the paddock some crops look very tall (>4-5ft) with good density, prompting the suggestion it looks like a “ten tonne crop”. On examination and measurement of these tall crops the stalks are thin & fine which does not weigh heavy when cut & weighed with inevitably lower DM yield than expected. Don’t be fooled by the height of the crop – get in there and weigh it – this is the ultimate test. On a positive note the Kale varieties which grow tall and thin are likely to have much higher utilisation down to the base – especially if being grazed by this years calves – as opposed to a lower growing crop with very thick stalks – these are better utilised by older animals.

The continued high pressure over Ireland is of huge help to the current grazing situation around the country.

To date the mild temperatures have led to the maintenance of high temperatures ranging from 5-15 kgDM/ha/day above normal for this time of year – this of course allows farm cover to build. Most farms have now past their Autumn balance date and so will decline in cover – but thankfully this decline is less rapid than normal.

Building to peak farm cover in the Autumn also has the consequence of grazing high covers at this time of the year. Coupled with this is the necessity to “clean out the paddocks” for the final grazing to a target residual height of 3.5 to 4.0cm. The grazing conditions have been ideal – so there is no excuse for not reaching this target.

Why is a tight grazing so important at this time of the year? Remember that paddocks grazed from now on will not be grazed again until mid-February – i.e not for greater than 100 days. During this time the plant will experience different stresses e.g frost, water logging etc. and during this time their will be natural death of green material on the plant. As part of the final grazing it is important to remove all material down to approximately 3.5cm. Material left above this height will eventually die and be left in the sward – blocking out sunlight in the sward. This in-turn prevents the development of the small tillers at the base of the sward – leading to a open sward that will be more prone to poaching and infestation of weed grasses.

There are many farmers who, in the past, have been grazing to 5-6cm+ but now want to begin to graze more severely to realise the potential of this higher grazing pressure. They ask the question – “when should I start this severe grazing?” The answer is now! There is no doubt that severe grazing of swards which historically has been laxly grazed leads to a lot of poorly digestible and dead material in the diet of the cow in the first year. The best time to begin is now when, in general cow body condition is high, milk output is declining and likely to be buffered by small levels of concentrate – the consequence of severe grazing now for the first time is less than any other time of the year. Tighter grazing now allows for tight grazing in the Spring without effecting cow performance in the Spring at a time of increasing milk output and declining body condition.

Regarding closing off strategy – everyone I have spoken to knows that they must get approximately 60% of their farm grazed and closed in the first 30 days of closing. But how many know what stage they are at on a daily basis or even a weekly basis. 30 days is a short time and it can creep up on us if we are not prepared. It is best to set intermediate targets based on the calendar for example;

100ha farm began closing on 10th October –
Ultimate target - 60ha (60%) closed by 10th November (or approximately 2ha closed per day)
Intermediate target 1 – 20ha (20%) closed by 20th October
Intermediate target 2 – 40ha (40%) closed by 30th October

Know where you are in relation to the intermediate targets that you set for your farm. If you are closing too slow, then graze lighter covers to speed up to target. If closing too fast then graze heavier covers. The past week has seen more farmers in “closing too slow” because pre-grazing covers are high with high dry matter % - there is the temptation to graze lighter covers straight away. My advice is to persevere with grazing the heavy covers in the current good grazing conditions – and get them cleaned out. When the weather breaks – move to the lighter covers and make up the deficit.
However where closing is going too fast – this is indicative of a low farm cover or grass supply – in this you will run o out of grass too early - supplementation may be needed to slow down closing and further extend the grazing

October is upon us and thankfully typical colder wet October weather looks to remain abated for another while. A quick trawl of weather forecasting websites suggests that warm mild conditions will continue until Saturday next with some light rainfall across the country and the same for the Northern half of the country on Sunday. This rain is to come from the North West - so lower temperatures are suggested for these days. Forecast for early next week suggests more rain to follow late Monday from the Southwest and subsequent higher milder temperatures.

The anticipation of a little rain is varied on different farms, wetter farms will gladfully welcome a more dry weather, whereas dry farms are now looking for that little "softness" in the ground again. Either way I think that some rainfall will stimulate an increase in growth especially after the final nitrogen applications in the past 10 days - so dare I say it a little rain is welcomed as long as it knows when to stop.

Growth rates in the past week have ranged from 55 to 67 kgDM/ha/day - generally above target for this time of year - with many reducing demand by intorducing bale silage and concentrate, this high growth has led to significant increases in farm cover. One farmer for example has increased in farm cover from 650 to 850 to 1005 kgDM/ha over the last 3 weeks. He is now almost on target again but the recommendation is to continue to keep demand low and take advantage of the current high growth rate and continue to build cover.

Thoughts should now revert to preparation for the last rotation and closing paddocks for the Winter. It is important to close approximately 60% of the farm in the first 30 days of the last rotation - this ensures a adequate and regular grass supply for the first rotation in Spring. But when should you begin closing paddocks - again the answer relates to the Winter growth potential of the farm. Dry farms with strong growth over Winter should begin closing from approximately 8-10th October. Wet cold farms require a longer period to accumulate cover over the Winter period and should begin closing paddocks 5-7 days earlier.

Now to discuss which paddocks to close first? First closed paddocks will invariably be the paddocks which will have the highest cover next February - however with low cow intakes and low demand early in February, they are likely not to be the first grazed paddocks in Spring. First grazed paddocks in Spring should be smaller paddocks close to the yard - identify these paddocks now and plan to close them when 20-30% of the farm is closed.

Another dilema arises for farms with wet and dry paddocks - which should be closed first? In preparation for the Spring, it is best to alternate closing of these wet and dry paddocks. The chances of getting an extended dry period in early grazing season allowing you to graze all the wet paddocks is slim. Therefore it is best that you graze the wet paddocks when it is dry but and change to dry paddocks if the weather changes rapidly - therefore be sure to alternate closing wet and dry paddocks through the month of October.

The recent improvement in weather conditions was very much welcomed and with a further week of dry conditions forecasted, from a grassland management point of view, it helps to address some of the weaknesses of the grazing year to date.

It is ideal weather for grazing. There is now excuse for not getting paddocks grazed out even from high covers - paddocks must be grazed to <4.5cm – you will not get a better chance to clean out the paddocks before the end of grazing this year. Try to get those with poorest sward quality grazed this week if not already done so – even if you must skip ahead to get to them. Current rotation length should be circa 35 days and planning to extend to 40 days by late September.

Grass growth rates have improved on the previous week, albeit not as high as expected, ranging from 50 to 70kgDM/ha/day. The sunny weather has also brought clear skies at night with corresponding low night temperatures. Soil temperatures are more influenced by night time temperatures than daytime temperatures – therefore there has been little change in the past week – even today in the Fermoy region of North Cork, 9am soil temperature remains low at 13.9 degrees.

From a Autumn budgeting point of view, if you were behind target hopefully you are now hitting target . However if you were on target before this dry spell, then it is likely that you are now ahead of target. If the latter is the case then this may cause problems if you are lightly stocked and will continue to build cover through September with low demand to eat through the heavy covers on the farm. Is cutting bales an option at this stage of the year? The concern is that re-growth of a cut paddock will be slow. This will be the case if the base of the sward is yellow or white after cutting and/or if the grass species is dominated by non-perennial ryegrass varieties. However, the consequence of grazing through heavy covers on the farm for an extended period of time will also restrict light to the base of the sward leaving it yellow and white, slowing down re-growth. On the other hand, perennial ryegrass swards which are green & leafy at the base will recover quickly with little suppression of growth. So, the answer is not entirely obvious but will be dependent on the individual farm. In my opinion, maximum farm cover at any time is 1200 kgDM/ha – preferably only at balance date. Above this, the surplus should be removed by extra stock or cutting an area for bales.

The fertiliser deadline is upon us. Final applications (30-40 units N/ac) should now be in place and light applications of slurry should be the norm from now until mid-October at least. Hold off on these slurry applications until just before the weather is to break. Slurry application in these high temperatures is a waste of time as most of the nitrogen will be lost to the atmosphere.

I believe that this week is also the last chance saloon for reseeding in 2009. While Spring reseeding is preferable, this time of the year is the best time to kill off and reseed a scutch infested sward. At this time of the year, scutch grass is beginning to store reserves in its roots in preparation for the Winter period. If sprayed it will also take in the spray into its roots ensuring an effective kill of not just the green material but of the roots also.

It is a misconception that the grazing year begins in Spring - the grazing cycle does not begin in Spring, it begins now! Make sure you have a clear Autumn grassland management plan in place that compliments your Spring grazing targets - don't leave it to chance. Our newest recruit to the grazing musketeer consultancy service - Brian Costello, is filling his diary for the coming months and Spring 2010. Brian will service dairy farmers in the North West and North East regions tailoring grazing management plans unique to each individual farm. If you are from these regions and wish to avail of this service, contact Brian directly on 086 2329460. Enquiries from all other areas of Ireland please contact Noel on 086 8360285.

After another week of wet and overcast skies, growing and grazing conditions continue to deteriorate across the country – and the prognosis for the coming week is no better. While a drop in cow performance is expected, it is noticeable that the recent decline is accelerated over the past 10 days. In general sward quality is improving across farms as the ratio of leaf to stem increases. However energy levels in the grass is low due to the lack of sunlight, and with obvious intake limitations of low dry matter grass on the wet days, these factors are conspiring to reduce yield and milk solids yield.

At this time of year crude protein levels in grazed grass are high and not limiting. What is needed is an increase in energy intake which is possible with concentrate supplementation. Year to date, I have questioned the profitability of concentrate inputs given the low milk price especially in an adequate grass supply situation – and this view has not changed. However, with the recent current drop in feeding value of grazed grass, an associated response in yield and solids output is more likely. Probably the best options are citrus pulp or rolled barley – two high energy feeds available at low cost. Once cow performance has recovered, coupled with improved weather conditions, then the concentrate can be phased out again.

I have recently heard reports of grass tetany in herds. With day and night temperatures to lower by the end of this week, it is advisable to re-introduce Cal Mag into the diet until grazing and weather conditions improve.

It is also quiet noticeable that cow body condition score has improved across farms with current farm averages ranging from 2.85 to 3.10. The level that individual farms are at is mostly dependent on cow type and % of Holstein blood. Whatever level you are at, what is important is that body condition is increasing on your farm. If not, then watch out for other symptoms of ill thrift, runny noises, coughing, dry hairy coats etc – if present then veterinary intervention may be necessary.

Growth in the past week has seen a decline form the previous week but ranged from mid 40’s to mid 60’s kgDM/ha/day – with many soils waterlogged or saturated at least, with the suggested drop in air and soil temperatures, growth can be expected to slow further for the coming week. In this regard, it is essential that you are now on an extended rotation length – circa 30 days by early September – allowing for a longer time for paddocks to recover between grazings and for the further building of grass supply. Plan to further increase rotation length up to 35 days over the next two weeks.

9am soil temperatures have increased by on average one degree from the previous week, ranging from 16 to 17 degrees celsius. Coupled with the obvious reduction in rainfall and higher daytime temperatures, growth rates across the country have improved considerably and regularly between 55 and 75 kgDM/ha/day for the past week. There is an obvious improvement in the growing state with the lush green colour evident in most farms as residual nitrogen in the soil now being taken up by the growing plant. This response is slightly later on wetter farms but I would expect to see improvements on these farms in the coming week.

Hopefully this increase in growth has put the farm back on target for your Autumn budget and you should now be building cover again. For many highly stocked farms the Autumn balance date (when demand will exceed growth) is only a month away and to build to a balance day farm cover circa 1150 – 1200 kgDM/ha will require continued high growth above demand. As mentioned before, demand is fully in your control and there are many options in this regard.
• Reduce grass allowance/intake on the milking platform
o Introduce concentrates or high quality bale silage into the diet.
o Zero grazing grass from outside ground.
• Reduce stock numbers on the milking platform
o Dry off problem cows – SCC, low yielders etc.
o Remove other stock (beef cattle, calves and/or in-calf heifers) to outside ground if available.

Low stocking rate farms have a little more time, simply in that their balance date will be later in September or early October. However the necessity to build to peak cover at this date is none less than highly stocked farms and similar options apply.

Coincidently, the short term effect of reducing demand by feeding concentrates seems to differ on farms. Those with high sward quality are seeing little response from the concentrate feeding while those grazing poor quality swards are responding to the concentrate with increased output. Either way don’t forget the long term effect – building cover to balance date leading to extra days grazing on grass later in the year.

Some farms are ahead of target regarding building cover and extending rotation. With high growth suggested again for the coming week, paddocks can be skipped and baled. However, I suggested that these paddocks are cut as soon as possible once the decision is made. Daylight length is shortening, and at this time of year a decline in weather conditions can be rapid, leading to a drop in growth. Therefore get these paddocks back in the grazing platform quickly.

Target a rotation length circa 28 days by the end of August. Therefore, you should now be on a 24-25 day rotation and increasing weekly until then. If you are allowing second cut aftergrass to build through August then you should be keeping rotation length at 21-22 day rotation with the aftergrass giving 6-7 extra days grazing late in August yielding 28 days at this time.

We are now entering a critical period in the grazing season. Fundamental to all above is walking the farm, measuring cover and budgeting – failure to plan is planning for failure and will cost you money.

We are please to announce the appointment of a new recruit to the Grazing Musketeer service. Brian Costello from Boyle, Co. Roscommon takes over responsibility for the counties in the North West and North East regions and will be available for consultancy from early September onwards. If you wish to avail of the service contact me on 086 8360285.

While carrying out a farm walk today the farmer made the comment that early August is normally the time of year that his farm is in drought. While we both agreed that we certainly don't have to worry about that now or for this year, there is a quick realisation that the continued wet weather is causing its own problems. The farm in question has approximately 50ha of second cut silage yet to cut, and with a targeton this farm to increase farm cover to 950 kgDM/ha for the end of August - time is running short.

This scenario is being replicated accross the country with no window of oppertunity with the persistent wet weather. However, forecasts for the remainder of this week look more promising but more wet weather suggested again from Sunday. So, take the oppertunity get the silage saved this week and set the farm up well for lengthening of the rotation with the aftergrass in 3-4 weeks time.

Growth rates so far this week have generally seen a further reduction from the previous week - but again the extent of the drop appears to be the level of saturation in the soil. For example a farm average of 52 kgDM/ha and a range of 20 kgDM/ha to 110 kgDM/ha, with the "boggy" paddocks being the former and the "free draining" or "reseed" paddocks being the latter.

This drop in growth is forcing some to feed concentrate at varying levels due to an overal drop in farm cover and/or a weakness in the feed wedge. As I mentioned previously the economics of concentrate feeding is questionable and this supplementation should be short lived once grass supply increases. When preparaing the feed wedge until the next farm walk, you should by now be planning for a 20-21 day rotation.

It is again quiet noticable that residency period is also leading to poor re-growth in certain paddocks on-farm, especially in the heifer or calf paddocks. try to keep the residency in the paddock under 48 hours - if this can't be done then it is best to block graze the paddock shortening the residency in each section.

To follow on from the last weeks update, the expected reduction of growth rates didn't materialise on most farms with levels recorded similar to the previous week. A continutation of high growth is welcomed allowing further surpluses to build - as long as you can identify the surplus and react accordingly. Remember, when closing paddocks for silage, set the farm demand at a realistic level until the aftergrass comes back into the platform.

The outlook for growth for the coming week appears to be good with mild air temperatures but some extended periods of rain mid-week. It is prudent to budget for similar growth rates as the week and again keep rotation length between 18-20 days.

The past ten days has also seen a reduction in milk yield on most farms. With no individual reason for this reduction, it is likely due to a number of factors including:
Lower grass dry matter - now down to 14-15% compared to 18-19% in June. Fresh weight must be significantly higher at lower dry matter levels to compensate
Lower suger levels in grass - due to less daytime sunshine.
Continued periods of wet weather means the cows are "huddling in the paddocks" and eating less. When they are wet and colder, more energy is directed towards maintaining body temperature.
Natural decline in milk yield for stage in lactation.

So the question is now being asked - should you be feeding concentrates at this time? The simple economics of the question can not be avoided. Assuming a milk price of 22c/l and a response approximately 0.7 litres/kg concentrate fed, then the concentrate price must be less than 15c/kg or €150/tonne. Some farmers are forced into grazing grazing heavy covers with alot of stem - the response to concentrate on these swards is likely to be slightly higher. However, for many, it is the burden of cashflow which is the main stumbling block this year - feeding expensive concentrate with little return will exasperate the problem.

For those still short of winter feed, forage rape can be a valid alternative. Its cost effectivness is dependent on its yield potential - approximately 7 tDM/ha can be achieved and is more likely if sown early. The high soil temperature and soil moisture levels are ideal for germination and establishment - take advantage of them now.