Forage for Knowledge

Autumn grazing goals usually centre around:

• Optimising grazing days and keeping cows off concrete
• Percentage of grass in the diet
• Achieving good residuals
• Ensuring average cover at closing is observed to protect grazing for next spring

The priority given to each goal will depend on your calving pattern, soil type, grazing infrastructure, farm location (local climate) and mindset.

This autumn’s opportunities are very much dependent on the rainfall lottery. Success will rely on being clear about your grazing goals and then implementing them in a way to suit current conditions.

What is likely to limit grazing this year?

The last rotation is always a balance of limiting factors. The key question is whether grass availability or ground conditions usually determine how long you can graze for, and whether those same factors will be at play this year.

Several areas of the country are still technically very dry. Data collected by Forage for Knowledge farmers shows growth rates below 12 kg DM/ha/day, with average covers less than 2,000 kg DM/ha despite the warm soil temperatures.

As a result, grazing conditions have been great, but grass availability has been limited. The number of remaining grazing days might also be restricted, depending on how moisture levels and average cover track over the next couple of weeks.

The wider concern is the additional pressure this places on already tight winter forage stocks.

Look for winter grazing opportunities

In recent years, winter growth rates in some areas have created opportunities to graze between housing and normal spring turnout.

Measuring regularly throughout winter will help you identify these opportunities and make the most of available grazing, helping to preserve winter forage stocks.

Where ground conditions are the main challenge

For those who are consistently beaten by ground conditions, a more moderate approach to building average cover is often recommended.

In a year like this, however, could that mean missing an opportunity?

Current soil moisture figures are still largely towards the dry end of the scale. If you are seeing significant soil damage, it’s likely to be in the top couple of inches, while the soil deeper down remains dry.

Digging some holes will help you understand whether there’s a pan layer limiting the water ingress or whether dry soil conditions are simply a legacy of the summer period.

When conditions become variable, on/off grazing can be an effective tool for maintaining access to grass while reducing the risk of soil damage.

Managing nutritional transitions

At some point this autumn or winter, most grazing farms will face the decision of whether to keep cows indoors or send them out to graze.

From a nutritional perspective, it’s worth remembering that the rumen microbes for digesting fresh grass and grass silage are largely the same. The main difference is the proportion of those microbes present under each feeding system.

Therefore, adding 3–5 kg DM of grazed grass via on/off grazing instead of grass silage is not going to upset rumen function significantly. This flexibility allows many grazing herds to move between housing and grazing as conditions permit.

If the switch-up is a different type of forage (maize or wholecrop) or concentrate-based, nutritional requirements will need to be more considered and transitioned more carefully.

Could grazing help stretch forage stocks?

If your winter feed budget is showing a deficit, grazing could help reduce the pressure.

When grazing opportunities arise during the winter months, having the knowledge, mindset and facilities in place can make it easier to take advantage of them.