Plan for slower grass growth as autumn sets in

There was a real feel of autumn in the last week or so.

There was a real feel of autumn in the last week or so , writes Brian Reidy.

Most of the country has had a lot of rain recently, and ground conditions have deteriorated in some parts.

Hopefully the sun will reappear as we approach the harvest of spring cereals.

Grass already has that soft look and feel to it, and all of the summer stem has disappeared from swards.

Dairy farmers have reported significant yield drops lately, indicating the fall-off in the energy available from grazed grass.

Rotation lengths are rapidly heading towards 30 days, as banking of grass begins for the autumn.

There is just over a month of fertiliser spreading left for 2017.

Growth has recovered significantly since the ground moisture deficits have been addressed by the recent rain.

Surplus grass

Most now have a surplus of grass ahead of them.

It is worth remembering however that as are head towards late August, the nights are closing in fast.

This will unfortunately begin to have a negative effect on growth.

It is time now to start banking grass, to extend the grazing season later on in the year.

Those who do a third silage cut, or who still have bales to make, will be anxious to get them done soon, so that they can bring after-grass into the rotation sooner rather than later.

Grass will need a bit of a longer wilt at this time of year, particularly if it is being baled.

Weaning of spring born suckler calves

Early born spring suckler calves will on many farms be weaned soon, as sales kick off around the country.

Obviously, it is good practice to feed creep around weaning, as it reduces stress on the calf, and reduces their dependency on their mother’s milk.

This in turn makes it easier for the suckler cow to be dried off without complications.

The creep feed supplied to calves should be palatable and include good quality ingredients and minerals.

Palatability of the creep feed is critical, because you need to encourage all calves to eat a sufficient volume of concentrates before weaning.

Inclusion of some molasses, particularly at the introduction of creep feed, will entice weanlings to begin eating the ration quickly.

Reducing stress

When weaning calves, reducing stress must be the priority.

Stressed weanlings are much more prone to illness such as pneumonia.

Any dosing, vaccinating or castrating, etc, should be done well in advance of weaning.

Once weaning has occurred, the calves should remain on creep feed for at least two weeks or longer.

Most will put cows indoors or in a bare paddock on straw only.

Remember that reducing stress will help to achieve optimum animal performance and will reduce illness. Don’t forget that reducing stress on the dry cow should also be an important aspect of the weaning process.

Managing the dry suckler

Plenty of straw for three or four days after weaning is generally ample to dry off suckler cows.

If you have issues on your farm with mastitis, consider tubing and/or sealing cows.

Once they are dry and settled, many will let dry sucklers follow other stock, to clean out paddocks.

Remember that most sucklers at drying off have plenty of condition, and don’t need to put any more on.

Leave them work a bit harder for their feed for a period of time.

Leaving a few paddocks grow strong, and strip grazing the dry sucklers, will work well when trying to regulate body condition.

Cows due to calve this autumn should be on a good quality pre-calver mineral.

For convenience, a mineral lick bucket will be the easiest option.

Ensure that ample minerals are provided, with a good rule of thumb being a lick bucket for every 15-20 dry cows.

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Karen Walsh

Karen Walsh

Law of the Land

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