October has nearly turned to November and grass growth has dropped as most of the country experienced significant rainfall in recent days.
Three Status Yellow rainfall warnings were issued yesterday (October 27) by Met Éireann, covering 10 counties in the south and east of the country.
With heavy spells of persistent rain experienced in most of these counties yesterday, this has drawn the 2021 grazing season to a close on most farms.
Up until now most parts of the country have experienced quite a good back end, with some drier farms experiencing better growth rates than mid-summer.
On heavier farms, growth rates were also quite good, with many able to keep cows out longer than usual.
Grass growth
According to PastureBase Ireland, growth rates are currently 33kg dry matter [DM]/ha in Leinster, 32kg DM/ha in Munster, 31kg DM/ha in Connacht and 28kg DM/ha in Ulster.
Most farms were on or ahead of target for closing of paddocks, but as a result of the heavy rain most farms have had to house cows.
Depending on the weather farmers may get them back out again, but this should not be done if ground conditions are not suitable.
Cull cows
If a farmer has now housed cows and has not already removed cull cows from the herd, this should be done soon.
A cull cow will eat as much silage as an in-calf cow, so in order to preserve silage supplies, the cull cow should be removed them from the herd.
The high-quality silage being fed to cows should be fed in to in-calf cows to help maintain milk production and body condition.
Factory prices are still quite good for cull cows, so before prices begin to drop, it’s a good idea to remove them from the herd.
Lime
The majority of dairy cows will spend the winter months in cubicles, which carries some risk.
Cubicles can be a source of mastitis-causing bacteria, if not properly managed.
Lime is an effective product to control bacteria on the cubicles, by increasing the pH of the cubicle bed surface, which suppresses bacterial growth.
The recommended level of hydrated lime per cubicle is 170g, twice daily.