Grass quality

It’s unbelievable what two to three weeks of settled weather can bring. Grass growth has completely turned around in the last few weeks and some farms are now looking at paddocks getting too strong for grazing.

Grassland management is difficult at this time of year, and you need to keep your finger on the pulse to avoid a big reduction in grazing quality.

Some older farmers would say that May is the month where the grass battle is won or lost, so it’s important to keep on top of it to set up fields right for the rest of the year.

If grass gets ahead of you and you start grazing heavy covers of grass at this time of year, it will be very hard to maintain quality in swards for the rest of the year without using a mechanical intervention like topping.

You shouldn’t be grazing covers higher than 10cm (half way up the side of your welly boot) at this time of year.

If grass quality declines, intakes will reduce and liveweight gain will take a hit, something you don’t want to happen as it’s the kilo of weight gain that pays the bills.

While there is nothing wrong with topping, it costs money and time, two items not in plentiful supply on beef farms. So what can you do if you are heading into surplus country?

Paddocks or fields that are too strong for grazing will make excellent quality silage that can be fed to weanlings next winter and cut down on concentrate feeding.

Grass growth will rocket now that rain has arrived and surpluses could arise very quickly.

If strong grass growth continues, and grass quality is maintained, you may be able to skip a round of nitrogen. There is increasing evidence that some farms may be deficient in sulphur.

Try spreading fertiliser with added sulphur for one or two rounds to see if it makes a difference.

Grass and Nitrogen

I have had some calls from people asking about cutting silage and nitrogen still in the crop. The general rule is that a growing crop will use two units of nitrogen/day, so if 80 units/acre was spread, that’s 40 days until cutting.

With good weather conditions, grass being cut dry and getting a good wilt, you could cut a little earlier if you don’t want to miss the current weather window. You can get the crop tested for sugar levels and nitrogen levels if in doubt.

Basic Payment Scheme Application

Good weather this week and another dry week next week mean many farmers are concentrating on outdoor work.

Make sure to have your BPS application submitted online by the closing date of Thursday 15 May.

Leave time to get passwords etc in case you get locked out and can’t get logged in. Don’t leave things until the last minute.

If you are unsure as to how to get the application completed, the advice is to contact an agricultural consultant or a Teagasc adviser straight away and get an application in. Even if you are unsure of what land you have, the important thing is to get the application in and make amendments later.