Winter is over at last as sun shines but clouds loom

WHAT a difference a bit of dry weather and the sun on our backs - and especially on the backs of cattle out on grass and not in sheds - makes.

However, we are not out of the woods just yet as the weather is forecast to turn cooler and wetter in the coming days.

A Teagasc Grass10 spring farm walk on current grazing and fertiliser application took place in Ballyagran on April 15 courtesy of Danny and Patrick Cremin.

Their Teagas dairy adviser Deirbhile Browne said the Cremins run a grass based spring calving system.

Danny’s farm is in Ballyagran where the walk took place while Patrick is on the home farm in Ballintubber.

“The walk had four stops to deal with grazing management in light of the difficult spring conditions, fertiliser advice for silage and grazing ground and how to establish and manage grass clover swards.

“Danny had started his second round of grazing since the first week of April by day. Cows were housed at night. The milking platform is 75 ha with 13.5 tonnes DM gown per ha in 2023.

“Their diet was grass, silage, palm kernel and 4kg of concentrates,” said Ms Browne.

Clover can reduce chemical N inputs, increase animal production and increase net profit so the challenge is to increase clover area on your farm, she said.

“Reduce Nitrogen in paddocks with adequate clover content from May on. Use soiled water and slurry on high clover paddocks mid-season. There is an opportunity with poached paddocks this spring to incorporate clover.”

Ms Browne said conditions vary from farm to farm and across farms.

“Grazing decisions can’t be made from the yard so get out for a walk and make a plan. Have fertiliser in the yard and target applications based on soil samples,” said Mr Browne.

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The plan now is to graze milking platform and take out paddocks for bales if necessary. Next on the agenda is fertiliser for silage ground.

“Apply chemical N fertiliser at rate of 35-40 kg N/Ha in form of 18-6-12 +S (if you have P allowance and if no slurry applied).

“Forty days (from the day of the walk in Ballyagran) still until May 25 so plenty of time to have 70 units N per acre taken up by grass plant for first cut silage.

“If slurry used, apply 38% pro urea +S. April-June are the months with highest response to chemical N,” concluded Ms Browne.