Forage for Knowledge

Consider what worked and what didn’t this spring. Could improvements be made? Would adding a few track spurs have helped? Identify any bottlenecks.

With a hopefully stable summer ahead, there should be opportunities to extend, repair, or improve infrastructure where needed.

With a changing climate, weather patterns are becoming more extreme and prolonged, so it’s wise to find ways to mitigate potential impacts before they occur.

The forecast for the next few weeks looks reasonably settled with intermittent rain and sunshine, but no significant heat, which should promote good growth.

However here is a caveat on that with the forecast a very light land farm should have a round of grass ahead and heavier land a couple or more.

Key is average cover management and keeping average cover where it should be for the next couple of rounds 2100–2350 kg DM/ha (depending on stocking rate and demand).

The growth rate is determining round length so what is your view on growth rate for the next one to two rounds?

Be mindful of water supply. If temperatures rise, do you have enough water for your stock? Remember that 50% of a cow's water requirement is consumed in the three hours post-afternoon milking.

Ensure your water system can handle this. Adequate water supply involves both volume and flow rate, ensuring all cows, including heifers and lower-order cows, receive what they need.

Any restriction in water will impact dry matter intake, production, and body condition. If unsure about your water supply, ensure at least plenty of volume is available in the yard post-milking.

Reflecting on spring, any residual was considered good, but now it's time to address any poor residuals as we approach the end of heading.

Reinstate residual and remove stem and rejection sites through methods such as silaging surplus, pre-mowing, post-mowing, or re-entry at a lower cover (around 2500 kg DM/ha) to hit residuals.

There are still five months left in the grazing season, providing ample time to profit and recover from spring, but this requires good residuals and leafy grass.

Aim for entry at 2800 kg DM/ha +/-100, depending on circumstances, and ensure accurate allocation to achieve residual.

As the workload eases for spring herds once bulls go in or post-service period, and pre-calving for autumns, review your budgets. How has spring affected them, and what measures can you take to mitigate expenses moving forward?

Regarding silage, do you have enough in terms of total tonnes and quality for both milking and dry cow silage? Conduct a feed budget to identify any potential shortfalls.