Budgeting for spring feed requirements

Across some parts of the country, particularly in the southern region, stock have eaten a lot more silage than expected for this stage of the winter.

A combination of summer drought (which led to silage being fed outside from July to September), and an earlier than expected winter - when heavy rain arrived in October - has led to a large bank of the winter feed being consumed on some farms.

The springs of 2018 and even 2013 when fodder was imported to fill the deficit caused by a prolonged wet winter should still be in the back of people’s minds when planning ahead. With fodder and meal prices at already much higher levels than five years ago, farmers should take stock of where they are at now and work out how much silage they will have available should a late spring occur (Table 1). Farmers have a number of options available to stretch out what fodder they have available should they need to.

Table 1: Fodder budget

Options available

Purchase in silage hay or straw

Suckler cows with calves at foot, growing weanlings or finishing cattle need a high-quality diet to perform. If purchasing silage, try and assess the quality. Some late-cut meadows (past mid June) will only deliver at best a maintenance feed and this will require supplementation to put weight on weanlings or to allow cows to milk. Stemmy, low-digestible silage is being advertised for €40-45 per bale online and represents poor value for money.

Straw and meal

For finishing cattle, moving them to a high concentrate diet while providing straw as a roughage source may prove an acceptable option for a short period of time until cattle are fit to kill. Straw seems to be in more plentiful supply with a number of ads online. While straw is of poor quality in terms of feeding value, it may not be that much worse than some of the late hay and silage first cuts made in late June and July last year. While high meal prices will probably mean cattle won’t cover their cost of feed for the last days of finishing, it will save silage for weanlings and cows, allow good levels of performance, and ensure they are finished quicker.

Sell stock

Mart prices are strong and the more risk-adverse farmer may choose to sell some of their older cattle live rather than take on the risk of feeding and finishing in the shed. Beef prices have been rising for some time but meal is up roughly 30% on last year’s prices also. Farmers need to do the sums.

This article was part of the Teagasc Beef Advisory Newsletter, which also featured:

• DairyBeef 500 update
  Ciaran Bartley farms 74ha of mixed quality land near Boher in Co. Limerick. A total of 160 dairy-bred calves, mainly Friesian with a small number of Angus, are purchased each spring and taken through to finish. Moving towards a younger age of slaughter has become a priority for Ciaran, with the majority of steers and heifers killed under 24 months of age.
• Research Update - Liver fluke
  Teagasc research looks at the risk of liver fluke and how to target them. Infection of cattle with the liver fluke flatworm, Fasciola hepatica, can lead to chronic infections and reduced performance. The prevalence of infection in Ireland is generally high. Damp, poorly drained conditions provide an ideal habitat for the intermediate host, the mud snail, and the risk of fluke varies between regions, farms and from year to year depending on weather and ground conditions.
• Health & Safety - Start the new year safely
  Let’s all make 2023 a safe and healthier year for everyone working and living on farms. Improving safety and health requires intention in advance of action. Review and update your risk assessment document and then take actions. A total of 12 fatal farm workplace accidents were recorded in 2022 (provisional data). 

The full document (PDF) can be downloaded here.