May is an important month for grass management
- Some first cut silage fields are fit for cutting
- Take out strong paddocks for silage
- Choose suitable grass seed mixes where reseeding
Ed Curtin May Update
- Ensure calves are eating over 1kg 18% CP ration/head/day
- Gradually reduce milk replacer over 7-10 days
- Give calves access to grass by day before weaning
Weaning dairyX calves
- Give mineral bolus where there is a known mineral deficiency in the land
- Take faecal samples after 8 weeks to test for stomach and lung worms
- Weigh calves to check they are gaining 0.7-0.8 kg/day
Monitor dairyX calves performance after turnout to grass
Grassland
The grass on Ed’s farm was measured on 10th May and he had a farm cover of 1051 kg DM/ha. The growth rate was 49 kg DM/ha which was perfectly matched with the demand of 49 kg DM/ha and he had 21 days of grass ahead. This was after he decided to cut out a further 3 paddocks of grass which had gone strong (>1800 kg DM/ha). This means that the paddocks that are due for grazing will be closer to the target of 1400 kg DM/ha to maintain grass quality and animal performance.
Ed cut the strong paddocks (7.39 acres) on 12/13th May and got an average yield of 6.4 bales/acre of good quality silage. Any of these paddocks that did not get any fertiliser this year will get 20 units of nitrogen/acre. As grass growth is matching demand on the farm and Ed will have the freshly cut paddocks coming back in for grazing he will focus on spreading 1 bag of 10-10-20 fertiliser/acre as recommended in his nutrient management plan to help build the soil indexes.
There were 4 groups of stock grazing on the farm and Ed decided to group the 32 dairyX yearlings together so that they could finish grazing one larger paddock quicker. He also decided to group the in-calf heifers with the weanling heifers to help the weanlings settle a bit more, and again to speed up the grazing of paddocks. This now leaves him with 2 main groups of grazing stock which will be easier to manage.
Silage was cut on the home block on 12/13th May which yielded 8.4 bales/acre on average. Slurry and compound fertiliser will be spread on this for second cut silage.
One field was selected for reseeding this year to improve the quality of the silage harvested from it. It was burnt off in mid to late April with glyphosate and was left for 3 weeks to ensure that a good weed kill was achieved. The land has been ploughed and will be power harrowed. A one-pass will be used to sow the grass seed at a rate of 14-16 kg/acre and the land will be rolled afterwards to leave a firm seed bed and prevent any slug attacks. Three bags of 10-10-20 per acre will also be spread to help seed germination.
As the land is heavy in nature and is in a high rainfall area, Ed selected a Hi-Density grass mix as the reseeding mix. This consists of 66% of two diploid grass varieties which are dense in growth and provide better ground cover than tetraploid varieties, which reduces the damage caused by grazing cattle. One tetraploid grass variety is included in the mix which has a more upright growth habit, along with a white clover variety. All grass varieties are included on the Pasture Profit Index 2022 which are ranked based on criteria such as grass quality, seasonal grass yield (grazing and silage) and persistency. These are all tested in Ireland by the DAFM. Further information is available at https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/crops/grassland/Grass-and-Clover-Recommended-List-2022.pdf
Ed will monitor the grass crop as it grows over the coming weeks for weed infestation. If a pesticide is required it will have to be suitable to kill the emerging weed varieties, be clover safe and be licensed for use in a reseed.
Animal Nutrition
One group of the dairyX calves are eating 2kg of ration/head/day and are down to 150g milk replacer which is fed once per day. They will be weaned in the coming days. Another group are being fed 600g milk replacer which will be reduced gradually. A further group is on 450g of milk replacer and will be reduced down to 350g/head in the coming week. This is all appropriately diluted with water as recommended by the manufacturer.
All calves have ad-lib access to 18% CP ration, straw and grass which is drawn to them daily in the shed. The weaned calves will be going to grass full time in the coming weeks.
Animal Health
Some of the calves began coughing in the shed and were confirmed as having mannheimia haemolytica. They were all treated for it with Draxan based on veterinary advice.
Ed will be monitoring the 2022 born calves closely after turnout for any evidence of copper deficiency (brown coats) or parasite burdens such as lungworms or stomach worms. Ways which could help avoid any potential issues are:
- – Give calves a copper bolus and feed ration (with copper mineral included) for 6 weeks after turnout
- – Take faecal samples after 8 weeks at grass and dose accordingly
- – Monitor calves for signs of lung worms (coughing) and dose accordingly with a white drench
- – Weigh calves to monitor weight gains (target 0.7-0.8 kg/day)
The calves should also weigh >100kg at 12 weeks of age and can be weighed at turnout to grass.