Grazing conditions on many farms have been hampered by the heavy rain experienced in many parts of the country over the last few days.
The rain has created a number of issues, with it also posing a challenge to those attending the National Ploughing Championships this week.
But on farms it has added more challenges to an already difficult year. In some areas, cows have even been housed, to avoid damage to paddocks.
Grazing
During this period it is important to protect ground conditions and avoid causing damage where possible.
Damaged ground at this time of the year will be difficult to correct and may result in the paddock performance dropping.
If cows were to cause damage to a paddock and then it rained, it could result in the paddock becoming waterlogged and thus reduce soil temperatures.
This would cause grass growth to stall and could ultimately result in the paddock needing to be reseeded.
To avoid causing damage on farms it is important to utilise the grazing infrastructure that is in place on your farm.
Have cows enter and exit from different points in the paddock, e.g. have cows enter from the back of the paddock and exit from the front.
In a situation where access to a paddock is limited, spur roadways should be used.
This will allows the paddock to be grazed without cows causing damage to other areas of the paddock.
Autumn
The hope for most farmers will be to keep cows at grass for as long as possible in the tail end of the year.
This should reduce the pressure on forage supplies and also ensure that the farm is set up for spring 2024.
Grazing during the autumn is important for a number of reasons, including maximising grass in cows’ diets and setting up the farm for spring.
But this in not worthwhile if significant damage is being caused to land, which requires correcting down the line.