Grazing infrastructure plays a key role on dairy farms as it allows farmers to maximise the benefits of grazed grass in their cows’ diets.
The autumn plays a large part in the setting up of a farm for the winter months and future grazing seasons.
The dry conditions currently being experienced on farms pose a challenge this year, with average farm cover well behind on what is ideal.
Grazing infrastructure
It is important to continue to make investments in grazing infrastructure on farms – even if materials are more expensive.
Improvements to grazing infrastructure can increase profitability on farms in a number of ways, including extending the grazing season in the autumn and earlier grazing in the spring.
Improvements to grazing infrastructure could include:
- Extra entrances and exits;
- Extending a roadway;
- Increasing the number of drinkers in paddocks.
Increasing the number of entrances and exits from paddocks has a number of benefits, particularly in the shoulders of the year.
Having more access points helps to prevent damage being caused to land by cows entering and exiting from the same location.
It also provides more options when setting up electric fences when strip-grazing cows.
Another beneficial change could be extending or creating new roadways.
Similarly to entrances and exits for paddocks, it makes access to grazing much easier and has a positive impact on cow flow.
Lastly, every paddock should have at least one drinker or trough.
Before choosing the location of a trough a number of things should be considered.
It’s best if the trough should be somewhere in the paddock that can be easily access when using temporary fences.
It is ideal if there are two troughs/drinker in every paddock, one located near the front and the second in the middle or back, but for many farms this is not feasible.
Infrastructure investment
Investments in grazing infrastructure are more beneficial to farms over investments in other areas.
These improvements offer a good return on investment, in increased output/cow and reduced labour requirements.
Grass is key to the Irish dairy production model and good grazing infrastructure allows farmers to obtain maximum benefit from grass.