The month of May is a busy time on many dairy farms with the breeding season in full swing and many farmers planning or cutting first cut silage. With this in mind, here are a few key management tips or actions farmers should be taking on during the month of May.
These include breeding targets, farm safety at silage making, and grass.
Breeding targets 3 weeks into breeding season
With breeding season on most spring calving herds beginning in early May, most farms are now entering week three of their breeding season.
It is now time to review your breeding records to determine what percentage of cows and heifers have been bred.
This will help you determine if you are achieving your breeding targets of 90% of cows and 100% of heifers, bred in the first three weeks.
Cows that have been calved more than 35 days or more and have not been bred yet should also be identified; these animals need to be scanned and treated accordingly.
Any cows that are still to be bred and are suitable for breeding should be put on a fixed time A.I. synchronisation programme.
It is also important that you keep tail paint topped up because it becomes harder to pick up cows in heat later in the breeding season.
Management tips around farm safety
It is also a good time to remind farmers that safety should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind during this busy time of year on farms.
May is a high-risk month as silage cutting kicks off from the middle of the month.
Ensuring the safety of yourself, your family, those working for you, and other road users must be your highest priority to avoid serious injuries during this busy time.
Grass management tips
2021, by all accounts, has been a bad year in many parts of the country for grass growth.
Despite the continuing harsh conditions and below average growth rates, nationally Average Farm Covers (AFC) are holding across the country.
The latest update from PastureBase Ireland shows us that 95% of farmers have an AFC over 500kg DM/Ha and 82% have an AFC of over 600kg DM/Ha.
However, regrowth remains very slow on grazed paddocks, with many farmers holding farm covers by introducing extra feed into cows diets.
Key messages:
- Continue to walk the farm every five days;
- If the cover is less than 550kg DM/ha, it is critical to hold feeding levels until grass growth matches demand;
- Keep your rotation to a 20-22-day round and target a pre-grazing cover of 1,200kg DM/Ha or higher.