After a late spring and subsequent good summer, with variable grass-growth rates observed nationwide, the favourable autumn grass-growing weather this week has been welcomed by farmers.

While the mild weather is set to continue, the end of the grazing season is just around the corner and now is the time to prepare for the 2022 grazing year by planning to close off paddocks from October onwards.

Despite the fact weather conditions are set to remain mild, wet weather is expected to creep in over the coming weeks.

With this in mind, farmers should be conscious that grass dry matter (DM) will reduce in the coming weeks and the quality and feed value of the grass will fall simultaneously.

Animals that will not be fit for sale by the end of the grazing season should be identified and kept separate to cattle that will be finished off grass, with the stock for finishing getting the extra bit of attention.

Farmers who are finishing heifers – in particular Angus and Herefords – should pay particular attention to the fat cover of their animals as heifers of these breeds can become overfat in a short space of time.

Alternatively, bullocks have the tendency to stay lean for that bit longer, and if finishing steers on grass, farmers should ensure their bullocks have an adequate fat cover before bringing cattle to the factory.

Cattle which are either overfat or short of flesh will be penalised when being paid ‘on the grid’ – so it is important to have cattle ‘in spec’ when presenting them for slaughter.

According to the College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise’s (CAFRE’s) Beef and Sheep Adviser Hannah McNelis, if grass covers are looking good on farm, farmers might find that beef cattle are not overly keen on meal. However, this will change quite quickly if the wet conditions begin to take hold.

Beef cattle coming close to finish will require supplementary feeding at grass to offset the drop in grass quality.

Farmers should assess the finishing ration being used on the farm to make sure the highest-quality ingredients are being used and that the ration is high-energy, with sufficient protein.

As a rule of thumb, McNelis said cattle should be fed at a rate of 0.5kg/100kg of liveweight where there is sufficient grass on farm and 1kg/100kg of liveweight where grass is in shorter supply.