Grass management: While many farms are still finding grass supplies and demand are finely balanced, those which have soils well fertilised should see a significant spike in growth this week.
The next few weeks are critical in terms of managing grass and keeping high-quality forage ahead of sheep.
Where sheep have still not been joined in to larger grazing groups doing so will greatly aid grass management in being able to graze out swards faster. This will reduce the amount of time sheep are forced to graze down lower-quality material at the base of the sward, allow swards to recover quicker and increase the overall volume of grass grown.
Valuable tools in maintaining high-quality grass ahead of stock include larger grazing groups / rotational grazing as already mentioned and splitting paddocks using temporary electric fencing.
The secret to successfully utilising electric fencing is to get animals accustomed to the fence at the outset by setting it up to ensure it is stock proof.
This includes positioning posts closer together to provide more stability, using four strands of wire and maximising the voltage by cutting off voltage to wire not in use. I was in Teagasc Mellows Campus last week for the launch of Sheep 2025 and temporary electric fencing was being used to excellent effect to manage grass.
Teagasc recommends for temporary fencing early in the season with young lambs to use four strands of wire at heights of 20cm, 30cm, 50cm and 80cm above ground level.
This can be cut back to three strands later in the season while two strands will then typically suffice along earthen banks, stone walls etc once sheep are accustomed to the fence.
Silage quality: The quality of silage on sheep farms is typically poor on average, with huge scope to improve quality, increase performance and reduce costs. The greatest issue affecting quality on farms with poor-quality silage is reportedly delaying cutting and letting grass go to seed.
Not all silage needs to be of excellent quality, but making a portion of silage or good-quality haylage to feed to ewes in late pregnancy will pay dividends.
The aim should be to cut swards after six to seven weeks while taking surplus grass out of the rotation and baling at a low grass height is another excellent way to improve quality while also keeping quality in check.
In terms of fertiliser swards will typically utilise two units of nitrogen (N) per day meaning a sward that receives 100 units of N can be cut after 50 days safe in the knowledge that nitrogen will have been utilised by the growing plant. An application of 80 to 100 units of nitrogen per acre (123kg/ha) is recommended for perennial ryegrass and reseeded/young swards with such swards delivering a better return.
For permanent pasture the recommended nitrogen application rate is about 60 to 80 units of N (74kg to 98kg/ha) depending on cutting dates and sward productivity.
In terms of other nutrients the ballpark requirement for productive swards is 20 units/ac of phosphorus (P) and around 90 units/ac of potash (K).
All of the P and K and about 15 to 20 units/ac of nitrogen can be supplied in 2,500-3,000 gallons/ac of slurry spread in optimum conditions earlier in the season.
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