Growth has well and truly exceeded demand on nearly all farms, and we have gone from a deficit to a surplus relatively quickly.

Each is challenging to control, but a mower and baler will do the majority of the work when it comes to a surplus.

Taking out paddocks now will prevent farm cover becoming too heavy and grass being wasted through going to stem.

If you are not too confident about how your growth will be in a prolonged dry spell, then earmark a smaller area for long term silage and mow in three or four weeks.

If a pinch comes in growth between now and then, this can be grazed to get you out of bother.

It won’t look pretty and won’t be of high quality, but is a cheaper option and less embarrassing than making bales one week and feeding the same ones out the following week.

Pre-mowing the sward before grazing will help reduce wastage and clean off the grass nicely.

With some rainfall forecast at the weekend, it’s a good time to top up any paddocks with fertiliser for maximum N efficiency.

Farmers

Jack Spillane – Tipperary Calf Farm, Co Tipperary

Growth has slowed down a lot in the last week, going from the 70s to the 30s.The last round of nitrogen went out a month ago, so we will likely go again in the coming days, as well as some 10-10-20 on low index paddocks.

We mowed 105 acres of first-cut silage this week which we’ll pick up on Friday, being tedded out in between.

We will earmark 60 acres for cutting as second-cut, but will look to pick different fields. Eighteen acres of surplus were mowed and baled last week, coming in at four bales/acre.

So far, 50 calves have been weaned and turned out to grass, with another 100 calves to be turned out next week and a further 100 weaned and put to grass the week after.

System Dairy calf to beef

Soil Type Free draining

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 537

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 38

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 44

James Strain – Burnfoot, Co Donegal

We have no big heavy covers and grass is relatively easily managed, partly because I am carrying a heavy stocking rate between my own cattle and contract reared heifers. With the farm having been nearly all grazed by store lambs over the winter, we started at a low opening cover, but it has really pushed on now.

Paddocks are being subdivided as ground is good and I want good cleanouts. Protected urea + S was spread earlier in the year, and I’ll now be switching to 24-2.5-10 as opposed to pasturesward, as I want to rise/maintain some of my K levels.

The red clover sward is looking well and will hopefully be cut next week. Bar this, all other silage will be surplus paddocks.

System Beef finishing

Soil Type Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 956

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 85

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 47

Niall O’Meara – Killimor, Co Galway

Grazing and growth conditions are excellent and are suiting our soil type massively. We have earmarked 7.25ha for mowing next week, weather depending. I aim to target leafy swards with high energy with decent bulk, as all stock that are housed require high DMD silage.

Fertiliser was topped up two weeks ago on a lot of the farm, with 20 units/acre spread on silage ground, while grazing ground received 17-18 units/acre of N.

With some rainfall last week, I got my contractor to oversow five acres of a paddock with white clover, and it seems to have taken. I will keep this grazed off at light cover to allow light to the base of the plant, and I will oversow another five acres when we get some moisture.

System Suckler to weanling

Soil Type Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 756

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 109

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 47