Advice: Stretch available grass while you still have it
Earlier this year, we were all wondering when the rain would stop. Now we are all wondering when it is going to rain again.
Apart from the rain we got last Thursday and Friday, May has been exceptionally dry. The dry spell is starting to cause difficulties for many beef and dairy farmers around the country.
Grass growth has slowed dramatically on many farms.
The north, east and midlands seem to be most hit.
Unfortunately, much of the growth seems to be pure stem, as swards are beginning to head out due to stress from the heat and moisture shortage.
As a result, many are now very short on grass, and animal performance is suffering. It is becoming very obvious in some dairy herds that a drop in yield is due to poor intakes, and lower butter fats are occurring due to poor fibre supply/digestion. It is easier for dairy producers to identify this poor performance, as they have regular milk collections and quality results.
But if they are having these issues, beef animals are also under pressure, for fibre and energy supply.
As growth slows down and grass supply start to diminish, many different solutions are being implemented on farms to bridge the grass shortage. The most important thing to do is to begin stretching available grass, while you still have grass to stretch. The longer you delay intervention and keep hoping for rain, the bigger your deficit will be.
Options
n Increase meal or re-introduce meal.
n Graze some second cut silage ground. Obviously, this is only possible where an early first cut was taken.
n Zero grazing.
n Feed silage or other available forages.
n Consider liquid fertiliser as a means of getting nitrogen into the soil to utilise any remaining moisture available below the surface.
Not every option listed is a possibility on all farms.
Select the option which is the most efficient from an animal performance point of view, while also being cost-effective.
For those anticipating a drought on their farm, it is essential that grass is managed very carefully. Try to slow the rotation, if growth has slowed. This will involve feeding additional ration to those already being fed, and introducing some ration to other stock.
It may also require feeding of round bale silage, if it is available, to slow down the rotation. Whatever happens, it is only the end of May, so don’t leave animals run out of grass before you start thinking about what you will do to feed them.
Feeding batches to stretch grass
Creep feeding of suckler calves will help to reduce grass demand.
Many weaned dairy-bred calves on grass are getting little or no meal; upping meal or re-introducing meal will save grass.
Starting to feed meal to forward stores on grass will slow down the rotation while getting animals used to meal before being pushed for finish. Some may need to consider bringing in cattle intended for slaughter later in the year. Commencing the finishing period a little earlier will take the pressure of the grazing platform.
Thankfully, the beef price has started to increase, so there will be better returns than earlier in the year for feeding cattle.
Silage saved and more to make!
Most have saved their first cut, or soon will do so.
The dry spell has provided ideal conditions for silage. However, that same dry spell is now resulting in slow growth in second cut silage crops. Fields cut for first cut in early May are now only a few weeks from harvesting, but have not yet bulked up. Recent first cut fields have very little grass in them and many are still yellow, which may result in less bulk, and late second cuts, if we don’t get rain soon.
Fertiliser spread after recent first cuts is still sitting on the surface, while slurry if applied has not washed in and is caked on the stubble. This may lead to a shortfall of silage on some heavier stocked farms.
Fly control
The forecast for the next week to 10 days is for a lot of very warm weather.
During any very warm spell, insects are going to be more common, meaning more irritation for cattle.
If animals become affected by this, you may need to treat stock for external parasites. Regular treatment will be necessary. Pay particular attention to recently dried-off, autumn-calving suckler cows, and consider applying a fly/lice treatment to their udders as well as on their backs.
