Signpost Dairy farmer and Barryroe Co-op milk supplier, Dermot Walsh explains how some good decision making in July has put quality grass back on the menu for his herd in Bandon, Co. Cork.
I took out a few heavy covers for surplus bales. I was in two minds as whether to bale, top or pre-mow. I went with the baling option, and I am delighted that I did. Grass has now returned to top quality and, with the bit of rain we got, growth has taken off again.
I was tight with grass for the middle of July. I had to feed bales for a week as grass was tight, but there is no silage being fed at present. The cows are back on grass full time with 3kg of a 14% concentrate. I did a farm walk on Friday the 25th, I had a cover of 196kg DM/LU and a farm cover of 686kg DM/ha after this walk.
I reckon this has increased since as growth has really taken off here. I cut 11 acres of second too. This will now return to the grazing platform as I hope to build covers for the autumn. The second cut has now been cut and I will spread this ground with slurry at a rate of 2,000 gallons/acre with LESS and then about a bag/acre of 29-0-14.
I also have 6 acres of red clover silage to cut in a week or two. I am delighted with how the red clover silage is coming along. It is just starting to go to flower. I hope to have it cut some time in August before I go on holidays.
Fodder stocks are very healthy as we head into the autumn. Last winter was relatively dry and short which meant I have a good bit of silage left over from last year. I am happy with the amount of silage I currently have in my yard and as I said previously, I still have the red clover silage field to cut once if not twice hopefully.
Flies
The only issue I have had this summer is flies with the cows. I have treated the cows a number of times as it was causing issues with mastitis, and I hope it is now cured. The weather has been very muggy lately and I think that may have been the cause of the problem.
Soil fertility
I soil sampled my whole farm back in January. My soil sample results came back with a very small lime requirement of only about 10 tonnes, but I will probably spread around 40–60 tonne of lime between reseeded ground and grazing ground. From these soil sample results, I have identified a few grazing paddocks that are low for lime. I hope to get lime spread on these paddocks sometime soon, but it must fit in around grazing. I put out around 60 tonne of lime last year on my silage ground. These paddocks won’t be getting any lime this year as they tested high for pH in the soil samples.
I am following the cows with 18 units/acre of 29-0-14. Any paddock that was low for phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in the soil samples, I am spreading one bag/acre of 18-6-12.
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The above article first appeared in the Farming Examiner as part of a Signpost Programme update.