The warm weather over the last week or 10 days has had no major impact on grass growth, with high dry matter (DM) content in grass seen across the country.
Many farmers have got in their final cut of silage, thanks to the great weather spell we experienced during the week of the 2024 National Ploughing Championships.
This opportunity to cut more silage has hopefully bridged any fodder deficit gaps seen on dairy farms across the country.
Keeping your cows out at grass for as long as possible and building covers now for the following spring is going to be your saving grace in saving on fodder supplies this winter.
Grass growth
Average farm cover (AFC) and cover/livestock unit (LU) has slightly increased this week according to PastureBase Ireland, which is a positive trend, considering we are near the end of the grazing season
Growth rates of 44kg DM/ha were seen on dairy farms on average across the country, with a demand of 42kg DM/ha, meaning things are still very tight.
The typical diet being fed across the country consists of 13kg DM of grass, with 4kg of meal and 1kg of silage being fed in an effort to keep cows out at grass and keep milk production up.
Pasturebase Ireland shows that 50% of farms have a farm cover of over 800kg DM/ha, and these farms need to put a plan in place to try and hold that AFC for the next five to six weeks.
The west of the country is experiencing the best of the growth rates, and for those farmers growing 50kg DM/ha/day, they must use this opportunity to build grass.
In order to do this, farmers need to make sure they keep a 15-20kg DM/ha/day difference between growth and demand to build that AFC.
Soil moisture deficits in the east and south east of the country have slowed down grass growth in those parts, with growth rates of less than 30kg DM/ha seen in places.
Rotation
At this stage of the autumn grazing rotation, the farm should be set up for a 40-day rotation and farmers should be feeding extra meal or silage if they can, in order to hold this 40-day round.
The chemical nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertiliser application date has now passed, meaning farmers can’t rely on their N and P application to drive grass growth anymore.
However, there is still an opportunity to apply potassium (K) to the ground, and giving the good ground conditions, the response should be reasonably high.
Farmers should apply K to paddocks with an index two or less for K and ground that has recently been cut for silage should also receive an application – one bag/ac of MOP (0-0-50).
The same applies for lime application, lime should be spread on paddocks that have been identified from the soil sample to have a low pH.
Slurry should be got out as a matter of urgency as the closing date for slurry spreading is October 1 and the tanks should be emptied before the winter.
Slurry will be a big driver of grass growth at this time of the the year and will go a long way in holding the 40-day rotation – spread at a rate of 1,500-2,000gal/ac.
After October 1, the parlour washings should be utilised on the paddocks to extend the grazing season and grow grass.