Growth rates are extremely variable from farm to farm, with some farmers still seeing growth in the 30’s while other are witnessing growth power on with growths in the 70’s recorded. This means that farmers in each category will have very different management practices for the next two weeks or so.

For farmers that are tight on grass, the likely reason is that covers aren’t there to grow grass. A low average farm cover will transpire to low growth, which in turn will also reduce the rotation length, further compounding the issue.

Growth needs to exceed demand nicely (by 10kg minimum) to allow cover to build, so supplementation will need to go in to feed that deficit. With a few wet days promised, it might be an idea to house cows/cattle by day/full time and deal with a short, sharp feeding period to allow farm cover to correct itself. Even the housing over the long weekend could be enough, depending on where farm cover is.

For farmers on the other end who have gone past ‘magic day’, where growth exceeds demand, then the opposite needs to happen. Silage is the first thing to go, and meal feeding can be reduced as well, with 2-3kg ample for the majority of cows.

Where there are replacement heifers to be bred in the next two weeks, it might be useful from a grazing and management point of view to bring them on to the platform for breeding and return them to off farm ground afterwards. Where this isn’t an option, pre grazing yields will have to be kept on top of by mowing out some surplus.

Target pre-grazing cover should be 1,300-1,400kg DM/ha, as energy content will fall on covers ahead of this, so unless there is a serious dip in the wedge, paddocks above this can be baled out.

Farmers will often feel that meal feeding should be kept high in the run up to breeding, but the above suggested levels with high quality swards should do as good a job and will be easier on the pocket. Unless you have a high yielding herd, if you are witnessing a big jump in yield and constituents when meal feeding levels are increased, then look back at what swards cows are going in to, and there will often lie the problem.