Maximizing Farm Efficiency on Wesley Browne’s Farm
In this update, Wesley Browne shares insights on how targeted lime spreading, careful dosing, and feed planning have significantly improved the efficiency and productivity of his farm.
Soil Fertility
Wesley has been focusing on improving the soil fertility on his farm and his soil sample results from spring 2024 show that the percentage of his farm at optimum soil fertility (pH >6.2, P&K index 3 or 4) is at 40%. This has increased significantly from 13% in 2021. Wesley attributes this to spreading lime on the farm and from prioritising slurry and compounds for silage fields and low index fields.
He recently had 2 loads of lime (40t) delivered to the farm and plans to spread it on his silage fields over the coming week while they are fit to travel.
He comments, “We have had a lot of rain on the farm this summer which has made field work challenging. I’m taking the opportunity to spread lime on silage fields that need it according to the soil samples. I spread lime last year on one particular field and have noticed a big improvement in re-growths this year, despite the poor growth rates throughout the year”.
40t of lime is ready for spreading on Wesley’s farm
Animal Health
The weanlings are starting to cough at grass so Wesley plans to treat them for lungworms. He hasn’t treated them all summer and they typically get the dose at this time of year. He plans to dose them with a fenbendazole product (Zerofen) which also treats them for stomach worms.
At housing they will be given an ivermectin dose (Animec) to clear out their systems – this treats them for lung worms, stomach worms and lice. As Wesley doesn’t sell weanlings, he will wait until all stock are housed before weaning the calves. They are also given live vaccines against RSV, Pi3 and IBR to prevent any respiratory diseases during the winter period.
While the cows weren’t given an IBR vaccine pre-calving this year, Wesley plans to administer it before the next calving season. No scour vaccines are given pre-calving as it isn’t typically an issue on the farm.
A cow and calf pair on the farm
Animal Nutrition
One group of weanlings (35) are being creep fed since the end of July. Wesley estimates that they have eaten approximately 1kg/head/day on average since then. The other group will start being fed when they move home. The creep feeder is on wheels and has a drawbar which means that Wesley can very simply move it around the farm with the jeep when needs be, or the tractor is ground conditions are wet.
The creep feeder is on wheels
The drawbar on the feeder means it can be moved using the jeep
All calves have been creep grazing ahead of the cows. Wesley uses a temporary horse pole to rise the wire which allows them to travel underneath it and gives them access to the best grass. They will all be weighed pre-weaning before the 1st of November.
A group of the younger calves forward creep grazing onto fresh grass
Wesley has updated his fodder budget for the winter. He expects to have approximately 70 cows, 2 stock bulls, 78 calves and 31 store cattle for the winter. He expects to feed the weanling heifers 2kg ration/head and 5kg/head to the bulls. This year he has made 860 bales of silage, and according to the fodder budget on Pasturebase he has 136 days of feed in stock, but Wesley typically budgets for a 180 day winter. He is considering buying fodder beet to feed to the bulls during the finishing period, which would also help to stretch his silage. Some cull cows and breeding stock will be sold before Christmas so it will be important to get these out to reduce the feed demand.