Forage for Knowledge

Having said this, the challenge is the same and that is grass utilisation, but this year being dry should make that a lot easier, this comes down to challenge – you, the cow and the grass you grow (I will be stating grass but the principles I talk about are fundamentally the same with herbs and clovers in the sward).

Grass utilisation drives grass quality, quantity and profit.

First things first, the driver of quality and utilisable quantity are residuals. The first round is important as this round and how well you graze sets residual height for the season. Your actions now have big ramifications.

More of this later. Back to this week’s data, we are 1–2 weeks away from balance day (grass growth matching demand). Depending on stocking rate and how your farm grows post balance day, I would say average cover should be 1,850 to 1,950 kg DM/ha at balance day, with some variation around this for particular circumstances.

If you are stocked on the lower side and post balance day your growth is always above demand then you can afford to be on the lower side of the numbers. However, if you are highly stocked and growth post balance day is more erratic above and below demand, then your average cover should be on the higher end. This said, looking at the data sent to me, most have plenty of grass. Beware if this is you as things are about to change, and quickly.

In mid to late March, the grass growth curve suddenly goes up. Look at previous Forage for Knowledge and your own curves.

So, if your average cover is above 2,000/2,100, make sure you don’t get left behind. If it gets away from you, then you will be chasing grass. In most circumstances, this leads to entry cover being too high, and as such, residual and utilisation suffer, penalising your subsequent rounds' utilisation.

Growth rates are between 2 and 19, as this data will have been the growth of the preceding week.

A lot of this will be growth slowed by night frosts, which have, for the most part, gone now, so growth will now double, and you will very soon be at demand (for example, 2.8 cows/ha eating 17 kg DM/day is a demand of 48).

So watch growth and pull silage and concentrate out of the ration and maximise grass intakes. This will mean 12–13 ME grass and 20%+ crude protein, which will be better quality than silage and most concentrates. Silage in the diet hinders residual and seasonal production.

The key to hitting residuals is accuracy. How much can your cows eat? What supplements are you feeding them? The dry matter of the grass (first round grass is drier than second, and combined with no rain will be dry, so there is likely more dry matter than your plate meter or your eye indicates), entry cover, and the accuracy of your allocation. If your cows in a 12-hour allocation can eat 7 kg/DM, for example, if you allocate 10 kg/DM your residual will suffer. Accuracy and edge of appetite are key.

As you approach the second round, blend first and second-round grass, feeding one at night and the other in the day. Do this over five days or so. They are quite different feeds, so blend them to aid the rumen bugs.

Recently, I have been dealing with a few clients who have had suboptimal maiden heifer fertility. There are two potential reasons for this: firstly, disease – rare, and secondly, grown heifers – reasonably common.

I would advocate regularly weighing heifers (weigh every 3 months) to check they're on target. But if you only do it once, do it at 12 months, as you then have three months to push on heifer growth if they are undergrown prior to service.

The growth KPI is the percentage of mature cow weight. At one year they should be 50% and at service 60%, and that is not the average; that is a minimum.

We have a good start to the year and are at 100% potential. Your decisions now have a big part to play in realising potential!