02 April 2025
Grass supplies behind target on 28% of dairy farms
Despite super grazing conditions and predictions that grass growth rates will improve this and into next week, the Teagasc Grass10 team is advising farmers to carefully monitor grass supplies on their farms.
This message, as delivered in its weekly newsletter yesterday, April 1, comes as 28% of dairy farmers measuring grass through PastureBase Ireland have below target levels of average farm cover (AFC).
AFC needs to be maintained above 600kg DM/ha on all farms, Teagasc’s flagship grassland management programme recommends, and walking the farm every week to assess grass supply is critical and, in some cases, many farms will have to match growth and demand.
As presented in table 1 below, the Grass10 team has compiled data on the grass supplies available on dairy farms, and have offered farmers advice – depending on their level of AFC – as to the best strategy to take.
Table 1: Dairy Farm Cover Data – April 1, 2025
|
AFC 350-600kg DM/ha Category 1 Farms |
AFC 600-800kg DM/ha Category 2 Farms |
AFC >800kg DM/ha Category 3 Farms |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| % of farms | 28% | 54% | 18% |
| Mean AFC | 516kg DM/ha | 692kg DM/ha | 890kg DM/ha |
| Cover/LU | 192kg DM/ha | 249kg DM/ha | 313kg DM/ha |
| Growth rate | 24kg DM/ha | 30kg DM/ha | 34kg DM/ha |
| PBI demand | 27kg DM/ha | 31kg DM/ha | 36kg DM/ha |
| Grass allocation target | 8-10kg grass – grass by day | 12-15kg grass – fulltime at grass | Fulltime at grass, 15-17kg of grass, reduce meal being fed |
| Nutrient application target |
Target 75kg N/ha (60 units/ac) by April 1 For farms on target, apply 20kg N/ha (16 units/ac) by mid-April |
||
Its key messages:
- Farms in Category 1 need to reduce grass demand on farm now, this is grass by day for these dairy farms. Growth rate on these farms will be impacted by low AFC unless action is taken.
- Both Category 2 and 3 farms are on track (AFC is adequate as is grass demand) at present.
More from Teagasc Daily: Dropping farm cover knocks grass growth
Regrowth on first grazed paddocks
Specialised advisors on the Grass10 Campaign have also encouraged farmers to monitor the covers available on the first grazed paddocks on their farms over the next two weeks.
To begin the second rotation on April 7, the first 4-5 grazed paddocks must have a cover >1,100kg DM/ha. If the cover is below this threshold, you will need to extend the rotation start date further into April. For many farms, Grass 10 recommends, the AFC should be at least above 650-700kg/ha or 200kg/LU at the start of the second rotation.
Also included in this week’s Grass10 newsletter is tips on reseeding and nutrient applications.
How to increase your grassland performance
Michael O’Donovan, Head of the Grassland Science Department at Teagasc Moorepark, joins James Dunne on this week’s Dairy Edge.
Michael discusses the grassland performance on Irish dairy farms over the last number of years, how farmers can increase the amount of pasture grown on farm and outlines key decisions that need to be made over the coming weeks to ensure high levels of animal performance over the coming months.
Listen in below: