Spreading fertiliser during the spring is important in order to boost grass growth and the amount of forage presented on farms.
Most dairy herds during the month of February will be aiming to get cows out to grass and get area grazed.
Weather can often be a challenge during the spring, so it is important that you have a plan in place.
For many farmers, the aim will be to graze around 30% of the farm in February. The paddocks with the lightest covers should be chosen for doing so.
Dry matter intakes (DMI) of cows will be low after calving and will slowly increase. The DMI of a cow will be in the region of roughly 13kg, including forage and concentrates.
Each week, the DMI will increase by around 0.8kg, until intakes reach a maximum 10 weeks post calving.
Fertiliser
It is also important that during the spring, fertiliser is used to boost growth on your farm and ensure that forage demands are being met.
Teagasc has outlined a fertiliser plan for farmers this spring. For now, a mix of slurry and protected urea is recommended.
For the purpose of the plan, the farm is broken into four sections. The first area is 40%, the second is 15%, the third is 15% and the fourth area is 30%.
It is important to note that these are not the same areas used for grazing cows.
The second 15% of the farm will be grazed shortly, during early February, and then get 2,500gals of slurry/ac, which equates to 20 units of N/ac or 25kg of N/ha.
The third area of 15% will receive 2,500gals (20 units of N/ac or 25kg of N/ha) and 23 units of N/ac or 29kg of N/ha of protected urea after grazing in late February.
The final 30% will also receive 23 units of N/ac or 29kg of N/ha of protected urea in February.
Second round
In March, the farm will receive its second round of fertiliser, which will be 40 units of N/ac or 50kg of N/ha for all of the farm – except the third area, which will only get 23 units of N/ac or 29kg of N/ha.
This will mean that come April 1, all of the farm will have received between 56 and 66 units of N/ac.
Before spreading chemical fertiliser or slurry, you should ensure that conditions are suitable, and soil temperatures are above 6°C.