Tightening grass supplies and poor underfoot conditions on sheep farms, have forced farmers’ hands into housing ewes that bit earlier.
Farms whose ground conditions are holding up, have been supplementary feeding to keep ewes ticking over for another while to delay housing that bit longer. For farmers doing that, make sure to keep moving feeders/troughs around to avoid poaching.
According to Teagasc, each week ground is grazed in December, it will reduce grass availability next April by 150kg DM/ha – when it is more valuable. So, if underfoot conditions are poor and grass supplies are tight, it may be best to think about housing your flock of ewes now or in the very near future.
Over the coming weeks, it’s important that farmers don’t undo preparations for the 2021 season by regrazing closed paddocks to delay housing or supplementation by a few further weeks.
As the grazing season is in the final stages, it is a good time to take stock of how well fields have performed this year.
We know on all farms there are higher and lower-yielding fields, so when thinking about plans for the coming year, consider targeting some of these underperforming areas and address some of the likely issues such as soil fertility (in particular lime application) and fencing to improve grazing management.
These changes will provide a good return on your investments and will also yield a fast return, while also helping to improve the productivity and profitability of your farm.