Good grass growth and favourable grazing conditions continue into November where cows around the country are still enjoying fresh grass in their diet.
This end to the grazing season was massively needed for any livestock farmer, as the tough grazing conditions from early spring continued right through the summer months, which made it difficult and costly on farmers.
Silage and extra meal was added to cows’ diet throughout the grazing season, which has left the cost of production for the year very high for many farmers.
This stagnated growth has also meant that silage supplies have been shortened and the worry of a fodder crisis was the topic of discussion throughout the year.
However, the elongated dry, mild weather has meant that cows have been able to stay out at grass which has alleviated the pressure on fodder supplies for this winter.
Farmers have also been able to continue producing high quality milk right into November at a lower cost of production than usual for this time of the year.
Grass growth
On dairy farms, where spring grass supply is a priority, farmers need to aim for an average farm cover (AFC) of over 700kg DM/ha on December 1.
A balanced approach needs to be taken over the next couple of weeks, as while on one hand, farmers should try and keep grass in the diet, by day at least, to keep costs down and keep milk protein up, farmers must be mindful of closing off the farm at decent cover.
The paddocks that should be targeted over the next couple of days is the clover paddocks and the paddocks that need early slurry application.
November growth rates are above normal for this time of the year as grass is growing at 25kg dry matter (DM)/ha with a demand of 34kg DM/ha.
The typical diet across the country is 10kg DM of grass, 4kg of meal and 4kg of silage which is a low-input diet for this stage of the year.
With conditions so good, the fear is that farmers will reduce AFC too much by staying grazing during November.
It is important to keep measuring weekly at this time of the year, as these growth rates are not going to last forever and November will eventually get cold.
Each week delayed in closing reduces spring grass supply by over 100kg DM/ha, and if farmers are tight on grass and have poor covers, they should consider housing the cows full-time or even part-time for a week or two before.
Farmers need to remember that every extra day at grass in the spring is worth up to €4/cow/day, and it is important that they try maximise that with a good grass supply for the new year.
The good ground conditions at the moment may also give farmers a chance to rectify any soil fertility issues on the farm to maximise the potential grass growth for next year.
With the ground being so dry and accessible still, it is an ideal opportunity to apply ground limestone on your farm.
Use your most recent soil samples to find out where needs lime and analyse which fields have been performing poorly throughout the year.
Rectifying soil fertility now and striking a balance between keeping grass in the cows’ diet and closing with a decent AFC will finish out this years grazing on a high while also setting yourself up kindly for next spring.