The good weather for the last number of weeks has seen the 2023 grazing season getting off to a good start.

In the south and east of the country, many farmers have been able to get cows out to grass – earlier than planned for most.

Grazing 2023

Making the most of grass on farms is a key part of Ireland’s dairy production model, with most Irish dairy farms looking to maximise the number of days they spend at grass each year.

During the spring, getting cows out to grass, even just for three hours after milking, can have a major benefit to farmers.

Considering the current weather conditions, for many farmers, the question should be ‘how long can cows go out for’, rather than ‘can they go out’.

Cost have been increasing on farms over the last number of years, but grass remains the cheapest feed on farms.

Getting cows out to grass also reduces the pressure on silage supplies and allows you to complete jobs around the yard, such as liming cubicles or pushing in silage, without the cows waiting to get in.

On-off grazing

The use of on-off grazing can be hugely beneficial to farmers at this time of year. This is when cows are let out for around three hours to graze before being housed again.

It allows the cows to graze, but also helps to prevent them from causing damage to the land.

A freshly calved cow will have a dry matter (DM) intake of about 11kg/day; this will increase by about 0.5-1kg/week, until peak intake is reached at week seven of lactation.

Farmers should avoid turning cows out onto heavy covers and instead start with lighter covers, until a significant number of cows have calved.

Paddocks were closed in a certain order to signal which paddocks were to be grazed early this year, however farmers should complete a grass walk to determine the growth over the winter months as this may change said order.

Infrastructure

Farmers should also make sure to make use of the grazing infrastructure on their farms, such as using different points in the paddocks entering and exiting.

This will help to prevent land from becoming damaged in heavily trafficked areas.

The use of back fenced and spur roadways during this time of year should also be considered.

Example of a spur roadway

Spur roadways sacrifice a small area, usually along a fence line, to allow cows to gain access to grass. They are extremely useful at this time of the year for grassland management and help to reduce damage caused in paddocks.

They can also be used in paddocks where farmers want to graze the back of the paddock first and work their way to the front.