Good grassland management is ALL important over the next number of weeks in order to deliver good liveweight gain in cattle and to keep cows milking well. It is essential to keep as much leaf as possible in the sward. Given current high grass growth rates there may be a temptation to skip on fertiliser applications. However it is advisable to continue with some fertiliser nitrogen after grazing. Urea is more cost effective per unit of N than CAN, and there is no reason why it cannot be used into June this year. Use up to 20 units per acre of sulphur (S) especially on sulphur-deficient soils, which generally tend to be light sandy soils. Soils require 0.5 tonne per acre of lime per year to replace offtakes and leaching. The target pH on most grassland soils is 6.3 and this is vitally important for the release and availability of other nutrients in the soil. Use soil samples as guidance about where to spread, but if no soil samples are available, we find you should take it as given that your soils are low. Plan to spread some lime this summer, ideally after silage is cut or when the field is grazed.
To avoid stem building up in swards a quick rotation is required. For the next few weeks target a rotation length of between 14 and 18 days. Generally the best advice is to maximise the first silage cut and this is achieved by keeping the stocking rate high on the grazing area in April/May/early June. First cuts typically yield 10-12 tonnes per acre compared with 5-7 tonnes for second cuts. Equally the quality of first cuts is typically 4-6 units of DMD higher. Having a large first silage cut delivers significant savings on contractor costs and also feed costs next winter. Pit second-cut silage is 25-40% more expensive than first cut. If/where little or no second cut needs to be taken, more land is available for summer grazing – which leads to an additional saving on N.
Teagasc researchers have clearly identified that there is huge economic loss between farms, but also within farms, due to variation in Grass Dry Matter (DM) production ie. grass yields. Improving grass growth on farms has the potential to significantly lift farm profits – provided of course that the extra grass produced is utilised.
Significant variations exist between paddocks on individual farms. Pasture Base Ireland (PBI), which was launched in January '13, has shown this variation to be up to almost 7.0 t DM/ha ! Even a farmer who is not measuring grass can clearly identify paddocks that are under-performing on his/her farm based on the number of grazings achieved during the season. All farmers should keep a simple record of the number of grazings achieved per paddock/field. The top dairy farmers are routinely walking their milking platforms twice per week at present, and are adamant that they cannot manage their grass without this level of effort. A major benefit of our Green Acres Sweet Bite Mixture which is our specialist grazing mixture is its excellent palatability, and dairy cows graze it out to 4cm or less. This level of intensive grazing maintains grass quality in the sward.
Teagasc Moorepark researchers have calculated that increasing grass utilisation is worth €160 per tonne DM/ha utilised.
What are the better farmers doing to reduce this variation ?
- Regular soil testing – N,P, K & Lime. Optimum pH is 6.2 – 6.5.
- Adopting proven grazing management skills (eg. grazing tight).
- Targeted reseeding of poorly performing paddocks with high quality grass seed mixtures.
- Overseeding paddocks to maintain a high level of perennial ryegrass in the sward.
- Reducing poaching damage through practicing on/off grazing; use of a back fence; having more than one point of entry/exit into a paddock.
- Improving drainage where required.
WHY CHOOSE GREEN ACRES MIXTURES FROM DRUMMONDS ?
- Include ONLY proven varieties on the current Irish Recommended List & based on the latest grazing studies & research conducted in Teagasc Moorepark & Teagasc Grange.
- Include varieties which rank very well in the Pasture Profit Index (PPI).
- Include top varieties from a neighbouring Recommended List (Northern Ireland, England & Wales, Scotland) only where this variety has a proven outstanding characteristic which is needed for a specific purpose within a Mixture.
- In formulating Green Acres Mixtures, which are certified by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, we take into consideration the on-going feedback which we receive from our top grassland farmer customers.
Drummonds’ principal considerations in formulating our mixtures are:
- Total Yield
- Nutritive Value/Digestibility
- Palatability
- Growth at the shoulders of the season (early spring & late autumn)
- Persistence
Drummonds Green Acres Grass Seed Mixtures are formulated in consultation with Teagasc and are marketed nationally by Drummonds Seeds and approved stockists nationwide.