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Agriland
a day ago
- Climate
- Agriland
Autumn grazing: Rotation length is key amidst strong growth
Heading towards the middle of August, our grazing targets slightly change as we turn one eye to building covers. Grass growth rates are still above average on most farms across the country, as farmers try to strike a balance between keeping quality ahead of cows and building farm covers. Warm weather coupled with showers of rain over the last few days has maintained grass growth rates this week. Many farmers are struggling to maintain decent pre-grazing covers at the moment with the strong growth, as taking out too many paddocks for bales will only affect the effort of building covers for this autumn. In this situation, farmers need to reduce the amount of supplements in the diet and target pre-grazing yields of 1,500-1,600kg. In order to achieve an opening farm cover of 1,000kg DM/ha in the spring, farmers need to start building covers from mid-August. By the middle of August, farmers should be building covers up to 220kg DM/livestock unit (LU) and to an average farm cover of 550kg DM/LU with a rotation length of 25 days. This will gradually build up to a 30-day rotation by September 1, with a 300kg DM/LU cover. The rotation length should be extended by two days per week, starting from 25 days in mid-to-late August up to a maximum of 40 days by October 1. Grass growth can often pick up at the end of August and into September, so if covers are getting too strong, farmers need to reduce the amount of meal in the diet while being careful of dropping it below 2-3kg/cow when it comes to grass tetany. Grass tetany can become an issue in autumn when cows are grazing lush covers and not receiving enough fibre in the diet, as well as not getting enough supplementation and magnesium, as rapidly growing covers can be low in magnesium. The use of the strip wire or temporary fencing is also an option when grazing at this time of the year, as it will slow up the rotation while ensuring cows are achieving optimal clean outs and eating all the stem, reducing the risk of grass tetany. If average cover is too strong, farmers could also increase their stocking rate for a short time by adding dry stock onto the milking platform. Otherwise, they can continue cutting for surplus bales, but this needs to be done as early as possible to ensure regrowth. Grass growth is currently at 61kg of DM/ha and the average demand is 51kg DM/ha, meaning that holding a 25-day rotation at current growth rates will ensure cows are going into pre-grazing covers of 1,500kg DM/ha while increasing average farm cover by over 200kg DM/ha in that period. The average diet across the country, according to Pasturebase Ireland is 15.5kg of grass DM with 3.5kg of meal and pre-grazing covers of 1,620kg DM/ha. Parts of south Leinster, east and north Co. Cork, south Co. Tipperary and Co. Waterford are struggling with growth rates due to soil moisture deficits. These farms need to reduce the herd demand by supplementing with meal or silage. They could also remove additional stock or performing animals from the milking platform or add silage ground back into the rotation. These farmers need to try and hold the rotation at 25 days by feeding more silage rather than meal, as silage will displace more grass. If herd demand is at 55kg DM/ha and growth is at 35kg DM/ha, the farm is losing 20kg DM/ha of grass growth and so demand for grass must reduce to 35 kg DM/ha to hold average farm cover. Feeding 7kg of silage DM at a stocking rate of 3 LU/ha will hold covers as 7x3=21kg DM/ha. Farmers need to keep up with fertiliser applications and spread about 30 units of N/ac in August while keeping an eye on their fertiliser allowance. Half rate N or dairy washings should be used on grass clover paddocks.
Agriland
07-08-2025
- General
- Agriland
Managing a grass surplus and time to start building autumn covers
Grass growth sees most farmers go into surplus as mowers and balers take to farms. Grass growth over the last couple of days has really been driven on, thanks to mild and damp weather, which means that most farmers are now trying to quicken up the rotation and increase demand to manage grass quality. Being out and about to farms over the last couple of weeks and especially over the last couple of days, Agriland has noticed that a lot of farmers have been taking out two to three paddock each rotation just to keep quality ahead of cows. It is important at this stage of the lactation to keep quality grass and optimal covers of 1,400kg of dry matter (DM)/ha ahead of cows to keep protein constituents and milk volumes up. According to Pasturebase Ireland, average growth rates across the country are just shy of 70kg DM/ha with demand at 51kg DM/ha. At current growth rates, holding a 20-day rotation would ensure that cows are going into covers of 1,400kg DM/ha, but if growth exceeds 70kg DM/ha, farmers may have to drop it back to 19 days by taking out more paddocks for bales. At current growth rates, there are going to be one or two paddocks on the farm that will inevitably get too strong - exceeding 1,600kg DM/ha - and which need to be mowed and baled as soon as possible. Taking these paddocks out when grass growth is high ensures that you are correcting quality, making high quality bales and getting a growth response from the paddock as long as nutrients in the form of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are replaced. The average diet across the country is still strong, with 15.3kg of grass DM, 3.5kg of meal, and pre-grazing yields sit at 1,535kg DM/ha. However, at current growth rates, there is still room for improvement here. For some systems, there may be an opportunity to drop a kilo or two of meal in the diet to increase grass DM intake, increase grass demand and decrease the pre-grazing yield. Farmers still need to ensure that cows are grazing down to tight residuals of 4cm to maintain quality regrowth on swards as we approach the middle of August. Building covers in August is important in order to achieve extra days at grass in the autumn, and to extend the rotation from early August by 2.5 days/week. Farmers must aim to go from a 21/22-day rotation in late July to a 30-day rotation by September 1, in order to build covers around the farm. In order to achieve this, farmers must build peak farm cover in early September, to ideally 350-400 kg DM/cow and 1,100 kg DM/ha average farm cover (AFC) or 900 kg DM/ha AFC on heavy soils farm. To build grass, take the following steps: Increase grazing area - bring in silage ground/reseed ground; Reduce demand; Remove young stock or surplus stock; Supplement with meal and/or silage; Complete a grass budget for the autumn and continue to walk the farm weekly. Extending the autumn grazing period is worth over €2/cow/day and reduces labour requirements on farms and the key to achieving this is getting the rotation length right. The autumn grazing targets for different stocking rates according to Pasturebase Ireland are as follows: Cover/cow (kg DM) AFC (kg DM/ha) Rotation length (days) 2.5 Lu/ha August 1 220 550 20 Mid August 240 600 25 September 1 300 750 30 3.0 LU/ha August 1 200 600 20 Mid August 250 750 25 September 1 330 1,000 30 3.5 LU/ha August 1 200 700 20 Mid August 240 850 25 September 1 300 1,050 30 Nitrogen application should be 25-30 units/N/acre for August, but farmers need to keep an eye on their fertiliser allowance. Half rate N or dairy washings should be used on grass clover paddocks. Even though growth rates are still very strong and the weather is still playing ball and conditions continue to be very favourable, farmers need to keep one eye on building covers and rotation length to ensure they are growing grass for next spring.
Agriland
03-08-2025
- Climate
- Agriland
Warm Wet Weather Driving Grass Surpluses on Farms What Now
Grass growth has taken off and many farmers are now dealing with surplus grass on farms. With the warm and wet weather lingering for the last week to 10 days, grass growth has shot off and those farmers who were suffering with soil moisture deficits have nearly recovered. The south and south-east of the country were particularly suffering with poor grass growth, with many were feeding palm kernel, surplus bales, and extra meal to try and hold the rotation length. However, for the most part - except for a small few still in deficit - grass covers have recovered, with two thirds of the country currently dealing with surplus grass on the farm. Grass growth in the last 10 days has shot up to about 67kg dry matter (DM)/ha, going well past the demand of 50kg DM/ha, which means that demand will have to be increased to keep quality ahead of cows. The average diet is currently 15.5kg of grass DM with 3.5kg of meal, and the average pre-grazing yield is 1,466kg DM/ha. According to Pasturebase Ireland, some farms, particularly in the northern half of the country are already at mid-August targets of 250kg DM/LU, and this should ideally be at about 180-200kg DM/LU at this point. If pre-grazing yield is at or above 1,600kg DM/ha, farmers should consider removing these paddocks for surplus bales as at current growth rates. Ideally the rotation needs to be at 20-21 days long to keep quality ahead of cows. At a 20-21 days rotation, at current growth rates, this will ensure cows are going into covers of 1,400kg DM/ha when the plant is at its three-leaf stage, full of protein and quality. Taking paddocks out for bales will shorten the rotation, increase demand, and subsequently keep quality covers ahead of cows. Take out paddocks as soon as you can when growth rates are still high. Rremember that for every four bales/acre harvested, 24 units of potassium (K) is removed - so keep a list of paddocks that require additional K. Ensure that paddocks taken out are replaced for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and K. When these paddocks are cut, it is an ideal to time to rectify soil pH with an application of lime, if possible. N application should be 25-30 units/N/ac for August, while keeping an eye on your fertiliser allowance. Half rate N or dairy washings should be used on grass clover paddocks. Farmers need to ensure that cows are leaving behind tight residuals to maintain high quality regrowth on swards as we enter into the autumn and the focus will begin to turn to building up covers. Farmers need to remember that extending the grazing season is worth €2/cow/day and will reduce the labour requirement and save on fodder. Eventually, as we get into August, rotation length is going to play a key role in building covers as we will go from a 20-day rotation to a 25-day rotation by the middle of the month.
Agriland
31-07-2025
- Climate
- Agriland
Grass growth tells a tale of two halves this week
Close to half the country is currently experiencing surplus grass this week while others are still tight on their supply. Many places along the west coast and in the northern half of the country experienced heavy rainfall over the weekend, with some fields even becoming waterlogged. However, with the weather drying up again, these farms are experiencing boosted growth rates of anywhere between 55kg/dry matter (DM)/ha to 59kg/DM/ha. Some farmers are reporting average farm covers of over 751kg/DM/ha, which is above the targeted 600-700kg/DM/ha, putting them in a heavy surplus. These farms should be taking out heavy paddocks (ideally one or two) to cut for bales. Farmers need to maintain 21-day rotations at this time of year, reducing concentrates to approximately 2kg to achieve grass intake of 18-19kg per cow. The heaviest grass growth rates are currently in counties Mayo, Galway, Roscommon, and Sligo. In the other half of the country, primarily along the southern coast, farmers are reporting tight grass supplies with limited rainfall over the past couple of weeks. Areas struggling for grass growth include counties Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, and Carlow. Average farm cover across these farms is at a low of 511kg/DM/ha as growth rates fall to 47kg/DM/ha. Current grass demand is roughly 51kg/DM/ha, meaning many of these farms are currently in a deficit. These farms need to extend their grazing rotations as far as 25 days where possible to regain a sustainable farm cover of over 550kg/DM/ha. Farmers have been advised to increase concentrate levels being fed in the parlor to supplement the diet. According to Pasturebase Ireland, the typical diet across the country is still 15kg of grass DM and 4kg of meal, with pre-grazing covers at 1,502kg DM/ha. Farmers are also advised to remove any non-lactating stock, including heifers and calves off the dairy platform. Farmers must keep up-to-date with their fertiliser applications, especially with predicted showers increasing growth rates across the country. Paddocks with over 20% clover content do not need to have any nitrogen applied - however dairy washings will boost performance. Farmers who knocked their second cuts recently, but have not yet applied any fertiliser should spread approximately 50-60 units of nitrogen per acre, if their nutrient management plan allows them. Remembering to get sufficient phosphorus and potassium out at this time of the year is also important. Farmers should utilise any leftover slurry and refer to soil tests for the best areas to spread.
Agriland
06-06-2025
- Climate
- Agriland
Grass growth rates begin to pick up as few farms fall into deficit
It has been a strange few weeks in terms of grass growth and covers, as the recent dry weather led to soil moisture deficits which put grass under pressure and quality hard to manage. Over the last 10 days or so, there has been a lot of rain, which has turned the soil moisture deficits around but grass has still been slow enough to respond despite the moisture and decent soil temperatures of 11-13℃. However, moisture in the ground does seem to be improving grass growth in the last few days and is hopefully recovering the poor start that early spring reseeds got. There are still a fair number of farmers who are in a grass deficit on farms, while the majority of farmers are experiencing a surplus, indicating that the situation is varying hugely from farm to farm. As we have seen over the last few weeks, is that farms can go from a deficit to a surplus in a matter of days, which highlights the need for walking the farm every four to five days so decisions can be made around correcting grass quality, or quickening or slowing up the rotation. For farmers in a surplus, they need to assess their situation to see if surplus paddocks need to be taken out for bales, do paddocks need to be topped or pre-mowed to ensure quality three leaf stage grass with a cover of 1,400kg dry matter (DM)/ha are being grazed. A drop in protein is a result of farmers grazing covers over 1,500kg of DM/ha and if cows are not allocated enough grass, this will also cause an impact on protein levels and cows may need to be supplemented to extend the grazing rotation. Grass growth Grass growth last week according to Pasturebase Ireland was at 65kg DM/ha/day with the average dairy farm sitting at an average farm cover (AFC) of 699kg DM/ha or 197kg DM/livestock unit (LU). The typical diet across the country of those who record data on Pasturbase Ireland is 15kg of grass DM with 4kg of meal, and cows are going into pre-grazing cover 1,598kg DM/ha, which is too high and going to affect milk performance. It is not unusual for farmers to be losing out on protein content during June as it is when farmers usually find it hard to keep quality ahead of cows. Many lose out on about 0.2% of milk protein in June every year, which needs to change. Not only are grazing these covers going to have an impact on milk quality but also on grass recovery and clean outs. Farmers should ideally be sitting at 160-180kg DM/LU and above this threshold, ideally, strong paddocks should be take out for surplus bales to ensure cows are grazing covers of 1,300-1,400kg DM/ha. If cover/LU is over 200kg DM/LU, then demand on the farm needs to be increased which can be done through feeding less meal or taking paddocks out of the rotation for surplus bales of silage. If the farm is comfortably over the 160kg DM/LU, then farmers need to ensure that cows are given 36-hour allocations if possible to allow for optimum intakes. Pasturebase Ireland data shows that 25% of farms are in a grass deficit at the moment, meaning they are under the 160kg DM/LU threshold and under an AFC of 600kg DM/ha. Farmers can reduce their demand by allocating more area to the grazing rotation, as maybe a paddock or two after first cut may be available to graze, or maybe up the meal intake for a week or two. However, with the moisture in the ground and soil temperatures still high, grass growth should begin to get back to normal levels, so the situation needs to be closely analysed. No matter what covers are on farms, farmers should continue getting out a small bit of nitrogen (N) of about 18-20 units (22-25kg N/ha) with a bit of sulphur (S), so ideally protected urea + S product after each grazing. If clover content in paddocks is over 20%, then farmers should reduce N application or just go out with soiled water at a rate of 2,000gal/ac.
