Although grass growth rates look positive, getting and keeping cows at grass remains to be an issue for many.
The arrival of more rain and a couple of cold nights has not helped the situation on many dairy farms – with ground conditions once again becoming challenging.
April is a month that is known for its showers – as the saying goes; April showers bring May flowers – but the rain or showers were definitely not needed after the wet March that was experienced this year.
Just as it looked like a corner had been turned, rain over the weekend and early in the week has resulted in land becoming wet once again and for some, forced cattle back in doors.
Grass growth
With that said, grass growth rates appear to be positive and moving to a stage where growth should surpass demand.
The latest figures from PastureBase Ireland are showing current growth rates of 44kg of dry matter (DM)/ha for Leinster, 41kg of DM/ha for Munster, 42kg of DM/ha for Connacht and 37kg of DM/ha for Ulster.
Grass growth is predicted to increase over the coming days despite the weather and ground conditions, with 56kg of DM/ha forecast for Leinster, 52kg of DM/ha for Munster, 50kg of DM/ha for Connacht and 46kg of DM/ha for Ulster.
These predicted growth rates should move most farms into a surplus.
May
April is used to set up the farm for grazing in May and ensure that grass quality is high for the summer ahead.
Poor-quality grass in May will result in wasted time and effort, along with having an impact on production from the herd.
Farmers need to ensure that residuals are being hit in paddocks, as this will have the biggest impact on the quality of grass in the next rotation.
If there are some paddocks that haven’t been grazed due to the weather or ground conditions and the cover is now high, these paddocks can be mowed and placed in the pit, or mowed and baled.
Although the quality of this silage may be questioned, it may come in handy later in the year when gut fill is required for stock.