August is a critical month for building grass covers as it is the last month when growth rates outstrip herd demand, according to Teagasc.

It advises that while rotation length at the start of the month will still be 21 days, by the end of the month rotation length must be 25 days (and by the end of September up to 40 days).

So how then do you increase grass covers during August?

According to Teagasc, combination of the following methods will be employed by most farmers:

1. Remove calves and heifers to outside blocks

2. Sell cull and not-in-calf cows

3. Dry off poor-performing cows (low yielders, high somatic cell count (SCC) and sell

4. Feed high-quality round bales (preferred) or meals (more expensive)

5. Apply more fertiliser nitrogen (N) early in August rather than waiting until September

6. Graze out paddocks well, as grass left behind is wasted

7. Protect re-growths by spending a maximum of 36 hours in each paddock

8. Consider a ‘third-cut graze’ bank of grass for about 10-15% of your farm