Are you on target for your autumn grazing plan?

The first of September is fast approaching and traditionally, it is the day that signalled the return of schools, but it is also an important date for autumn grazing.

Building your farm’s average farm cover (AFC) is important so that you have grass available to extend your grazing season and set up your farm for early spring grazing.

Depending on the stocking rate of the farm, AFC should be between 600kg of dry matter (DM)/ha and 980kg of DM/ha.

Rotation length should also be increased from 20-21 days to between 25-30 days.

Grazing management

Conditions this year have been challenging so some farms are behind where they need to be in terms of AFC.

For farms that are behind it is important not to remove surplus bales from the milking platform.

If you have completed a scanning and determined which cows are not in-calf, their removal from the herd in the near future will help to take some of the pressure off.

If the silage ground is not accessible from the milking platform, the removal of milking stock from the milking platform is advised.

Farms which are in the position of having surplus grass should reduce the amount of concentrates being fed and increase grass in the diet.

If you have completed a fodder budget and determined that you need more winter forage, you can remove some bales from the platform. Avoid cutting a large area as grass is slow to recover at this time of year.

Continue to keep grass-measuring your farm at least once a week to monitor growth rates.

Outlook

The recent good weather has given a slight boost in growth rates – which has been welcomed on farms.

These good growth rates can be used by farmers that are behind to catch up. The target for September 1, is just that; a target – not reaching it will not have a major impact on your autumn grazing plan.

But, you should aim to be as close to that figure as possible, to give yourself the best chance of an extended grazing and early turn out in spring (weather permitting).