Grass advice: Where to now? April 9, 2018 Grass As dairy farmers, we are great at knowing our targets: 90% submission rate within 21 days of breeding start date; 90% in calf…
Dairy advice: Taking stock and gearing up for 2018 December 23, 2017 Dairy 2017 is drawing to a close and – for spring-calving herds – the majority of cows are now dried off. We use selective…
Grass advice: Cleaning final heavy covers and keeping your cows healthy November 2, 2017 Grass What a difference a week makes. Although weather has got a lot cooler, ground conditions have improved greatly – allowing cows to return…
Grass advice: Don’t generalise your closing cover targets September 25, 2017 Dairy As we plan to extend the grazing season, increasing the average farm cover (AFC) is now on most of our minds. Wet weather…
Grass advice: Managing surplus grass and rotation length July 31, 2017 Dairy The nights are getting slightly longer as we have passed summer’s peak. However, grass growth rates are excellent on most farms due to…
Grass advice: Managing grass quality while the sun shines June 20, 2017 Dairy With the sun on your back – and on the cows’ – dairy farming has to be one of the best professions to…
Grass advice: Key breeding and management decisions for May May 21, 2017 Grass The first round of breeding has kicked off to a flying start, with excellent weather over the past few weeks. I observe the…
Grass advice: Making the most of your ‘cover’ May 1, 2017 Grass A warm weather forecast for this week is going to drive up grass growth rates; it is much needed on some farms. Most northern…
Grass advice: Reaping the rewards of April grass and choosing fertilisers April 14, 2017 Dairy It’s mid-April and the sun is shining. Temperatures are varying quite a bit throughout the country but farms that got the target area grazed…
Grass advice: If the grass account runs out your bank account will suffer March 30, 2017 Grass A welcome stretch in the evenings is helping to dry things up a bit. There has been a lot of rain and sleety…
Grass advice: How to balance intake, utilisation and soil damage March 10, 2017 Dairy It is incredible how much people’s moods improve when there are a few hours of…
‘Fertiliser application in January is not a one size fits all decision’ January 31, 2017 Grass There has been plenty of discussion around fertiliser application in January and it is not a once size fits all decision. Soil temperature,…
Grass advice: Nearing the end of the green stuff November 11, 2016 Grass North of the border most herds are now fully housed or on their last few days at grass. With frosty mornings setting in,…
Finding the perfect balance between grazing and condition score October 12, 2016 Grass As we enter into the second week of closing, the effect of grazing heavier…
Grass advice: Wet weather takes its toll, but conditions starting to improve October 4, 2016 Grass Ground conditions in the north and west of the country has made grazing extremely difficult over the past two weeks. The dry weather…
Plenty of planning to do for the remainder of the grazing season September 21, 2016 Grass As autumn draws in, there is plenty of planning to do for the remainder of the grazing season and indeed the wintering period.…
The day slurry goes from being a nuisance to a huge resource January 21, 2016 Grass From February 1 (on farms in Northern Ireland) or January 16 on farms in the Republic of Ireland, slurry goes from being a…
Grass advice: Closing up grass for spring 2016 has begun on some farms October 6, 2015 Grass Early October is upon us and closing up grass for spring 2016 has begun on some farms. The ‘start of closing’ date will…