August, like most months this year, has proven to be quite a slow grass growing month, with below average grass growth rates seen throughout the last few weeks.
At this time of the year, growth begins to slow down regardless, but it is important that farmers try and get the most out of the remainder of the grass growing year.
Getting out fertiliser before the ban, getting out what slurry you can and even feeding extra ration to extend the growing season and build average farm covers, is essential for the rest of the season.
Grass growth
This week’s grass growth rates averaged across the country at 52kg dry matter (DM)/ha, with a demand at 47kg DM/ha, with the south of the country experiencing the best of the growth rates, according to PastureBase Ireland.
The average diet across the country is currently 14kg DM of grass, with 4kg of meal being fed to keep up with production.
The average cover/livestock unit (LU) is 228kg DM/LU, with average farm covers (AFC) at 724kg DM/ha and pre-grazing yields at 1,530kg DM/ha. AFC has largely remained static over the past few weeks.
At this time of the year, it is crucial to assess where you are in terms of the autumn grazing targets. For farmers who are stocked at 3.0 LU/ha, the target is 250kg DM/LU with a 25-day rotation.
Farmers that are not at an AFC of 250kg DM/ha may need to start thinking about supplementation to reduce demand on the farm.
Another way of reducing your demand, is to say goodbye to the cows that are for culling, as they may be only putting grass supply under pressure – which may hinder the herds performance and deteriorate fodder supplies for the winter.
Rotation length should be at 25 days by now and farmers need to be utilising their fertiliser for this rotation as much as possible.
For paddocks not receiving slurry or have relatively low levels of clover present and where there is a demand, it is recommended that 30–35kg of N/ha (25 – 30 units/ac) be applied immediately on grazing land.
It is important to establish your remaining nitrogen (N) allowance for your farm and get it out as soon as possible as N during late August gives a higher response.
The aim at this time of the year is to build peak farm covers in early September to 330kg DM/LU, and in order to achieve this, you need to know what grass is in front of you which will require you walking the farm regularly.