Building grass for the autumn on Future Beef farms
As it moves into the autumn season, Future Beef farmers are now preparing for autumn grazing. Aisling Molloy, Teagasc Future Beef Advisor, tells us more on the benefits extending the grazing season can bring.
Extending the grazing season by 10 days can reduce a farm’s carbon footprint by 1.7%. It can also help to reduce winter feed costs, less silage in the diet will reduce methane emissions, less slurry management will be required and improved animal performance can be achieved.
The grassland management targets change as we move from the summer to autumn. The target days ahead at grass are 16-18 days and this moves to over 25 days by September. This should not drop below 14 days or go over 20 days ahead in August. The target farm cover for August should be 700-800kg DM/ha.
This week, the farmers in the Future Beef Programme have an average growth rate of 50kg DM/ha (range 30 to 72kg DM/ha), an average of 24 days ahead (range 14 to 38 days ahead) and an average farm cover of 824kg DM/ha (range 583 to 1073kg DM/ha).
It is important to remember that there are only three grazings per paddock left in this year’s grazing season. So what actions are the Future Beef farmers taking to extend their grazing season?
1). Spreading the last round of fertiliser
Despite being legally permitted to spread chemical fertiliser until 14th September, the response to nitrogen fertiliser decreases significantly when spread in early August versus early September. Fertiliser nitrogen (N) studies conducted at four sites in Wexford, Cork, Louth and Mayo within the Agricultural Catchments show the average response per kilogram of nitrogen applied during August, September and October were 27kg, 19kg and 10kg respectively (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Grass dry matter yield response to fertiliser N
Based on this information, the Future Beef farmers are planning their last rounds of fertiliser over the coming weeks. Eamon and Donnchadh McCarthy in Carrigeen, Co. Waterford will be spreading 1 bag of 18-6-12 per acre on some of their grazing ground that was cut for silage and 1/2 a bag of 46% protected urea/acre on the remainder.
The best response to fertiliser will be on drier paddocks, reseeds/silage ground, leafy swards, where there are 2+ grazings left and where the soil pH is on target. This is also the same for nutrients from organic fertilisers, such as slurry and farmyard manure.
2). Removing last of surplus bales by early August
Second-cut silage has proved difficult to harvest with the poor weather recently. Proinnsias Creedon is farming near Macroom in Co. Cork and ground conditions are unsuitable for cutting at present. The weather forecast is looking slightly better towards the weekend, so he plans to cut 13ac, along with 6 surplus paddocks as soon as two dry days are forecast. Most importantly, he will mow it dry in the evening time when the sugars are high and will arrange for the contractor to bale it the following day. He would prefer to leave it to wilt an extra day, but will be happy just to have it finished for this year.
Having silage ground back in will help to extend the grazing rotation as re-growths on silage fields will be grazed in the autumn.
Figure 2: Silage field ready to be cut on Proinnsias Creedon's farm
3). Reducing demand at grass by:
A). Housing finishing stock
James Skehan in Ballynevin, Co. Clare has picked out 10 forward bullocks that can be finished before the winter period. He had originally planned to feed them at grass, but due to high rainfall and challenging grazing conditions, he has made the decision to house them and feed them indoors. They will start on 2kg of ration and >70% DMD silage. They can be gradually built up on ration by 0.5kg ration every three days (1kg/week). Ideally if the weather improves next week, they could go back to grass and continue to be fed 3kg/head/day at grass. However, if weather does not improve and they are built up to 5-6kg/head/day, they can be finished from the shed.
B). Creep grazing weanlings
Suckler weanlings can be ‘creep grazed’ ahead of suckler cows by rising the electric fencer in one section to allow them to pass underneath. Michael McGuigan in Longwood, Co. Meath developed a system for the paddocks on his farm where the timbers can be removed to allow calves to move into a paddock ahead of the cows to access the best grass (Figure 3). The remaining suckler cows can be allowed to graze tighter to reduce demand at grass on the farm and to achieve good graze-outs.
Figure 3: Creep grazing system set up on Michael McGuigan’s farm
C). Creep feeding weanlings
Weanlings can also be fed ration at grass to reduce demand. Some farmers do this by rising the electric wire and feeding the calves in troughs in a separate paddock. Eamon and Donnchadh McCarthy decided to reduce labour on their farm this year by investing in a creep feeder (Figure 4), which can be moved around with the herd. It will save them moving troughs and it also limits bird access to the ration.
Creep feeding for at least four weeks pre-weaning and two weeks after weaning will help reduce stress on the calves and help them transition to a winter diet, as they will be used to eating ration. Creep feeding will start in late August/early September on the McCarthy’s farm.
Figure 4: Recently purchased creep feeder on Eamon and Donnchadh McCarthy’s farm
D). Scanning spring-calving cows and planning for autumn finishing
On Future Beef farms where the breeding season is finished over 35 days, suckler cows are being scanned to determine if they are in calf or not. For Ruairi Cummins in Kilmoganny, Co. Kilkenny, he has moved the seven cows that are not in calf to his out farm for feeding at grass. These will be finished off grass and will not be housed for this coming winter.
Meanwhile, Ger McSweeney in Tooreenbawn, Co. Cork plans to start feeding his finishing heifers at grass from mid-August. He delayed feeding this year from mid-July, as the heifers are ahead of target and ground conditions were unsuitable for feeding outdoors.
Keep up to date with the Future Beef Programme
You can keep up with the latest updates from the Future Beef farmers and subscribe to the monthly newsletter at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/beef/demonstration-farms/future-beef-programme/
Also read: Putting grass 'front and centre' in Co. Meath
Also read: All you need to know about the new National Beef Welfare Scheme