Many dairy farmers will be hoping to start grazing cows in early February – that is if the weather plays ball of course.
Early grazing is a key part of the Irish dairy model, with most Irish dairy farms looking to maximise the number of days they spend at grass each year.
But to be able to achieve this, a certain level of grazing infrastructure is required on farms.
With calving due to start on many farms in the coming weeks, attention will be focused on the yard and not the grazing infrastructure – so now is the best time to prepare for grazing 2023.
Grazing
Before cows start calving you have an opportunity to ensure that everything is in place to get them out to grass early this spring.
You should firstly complete checks of your farm to ensure that the fences are still working and haven’t been damaged.
If you have noticed some small improvements that can be made before the start of calving, where possible, these should be made.
They could include the addition of more entrances or exits to paddock(s).
It might also be a good time to start looking at larger improvements that can be implemented when weather conditions improve.
Examples of this could be improving roadway surfaces, extending the roadways in certain areas or improving the water infrastructure.
It is also a good opportunity to have a look around the farm and determine how paddocks have performed over the closed period so far.
Equipment
The use of temporary fences will have an important role to play on most farms during the early stages of the spring.
Because of this, now is a good time to ensure all the grazing equipment you need for the year ahead i.e. reels and pigtails are present and in good working order.
These pieces of grazing management equipment can often become damaged or go missing during the year.
It may also be a good idea to make a storage area for this equipment if you haven’t done so already.
A storage system will help to prevent the equipment from going missing or becoming damaged.