October management tips on beef farms
Your grazing management plan in October will determine how much grass you will have on your farm next February and March. Farms that are targeting to turn at least some stock out between Valentine’s Day and St Patrick’s Day need to start closing up fields and paddocks no later than October 10.
These fields will continue to grow grass over the coming weeks, building up covers that will remain there over winter. As these are the fields you will be grazing first in the spring, you should choose the drier parts of the farm that give you the best chance for an early turnout.
The target should be to stop grazing 15% of your farm per week between now and November 10. The remaining 40% of the farm can then be grazed up until all stock are housed for the winter. Before closing, make sure swards are well grazed out, allowing light to reach the base of the plant. This is important as it encourages tillering over the winter months, and is especially important if you are trying to maintain the white clover content of your sward.
Meal feeding calves and weanlings
Dairy-bred calves need to be supplemented at grass in the autumn to ensure that they continue to grow. Depending on grass supply and weather, calves should be fed between 1.0 and 1.5kg of concentrate per head per day until housing. The crude protein in the ration should be between 12 and 14% in the dry matter.
Suckler-bred weanlings will also benefit from meal feeding at this time of year. Bull calves that are being targeted for finishing under 16 months of age and heifer weanlings that you intend putting in calf next spring are priority stock for feeding. The bulls should be built up onto 2-3kg of a ration, while the replacement heifers should be on at least 1.5kg.
Silage quality and quantity
Have you tested your grass silage this year? With lower levels of fertiliser spread this year and delayed cutting dates on many farms, the suspicion is that silage quality may be lower than in previous years.
Alternatively, where crops were cut at the correct grass growth stage and quality is good, there may be an opportunity to cut back on the amount of meal that needs to be fed to growing cattle in a year where meal prices are rising fast.
Either way, you need to send in your silage samples so that you can make an informed decision. Completing a fodder budget sooner rather than later is an important job this month to ensure that you have time to take action if you are short. Be realistic on the likely length of the winter feeding period for your farm and build in a 20% buffer.
Vaccination
A pneumonia outbreak around housing is one of the leading causes of death in beef weanlings. Stress, overcrowding and poor ventilation are the main reasons for these outbreaks. Losses are common and even where deaths are kept to a minimum, there is a long-term impact on animal performance, with significantly increased workloads and disruption all round.
While improving the management and housing of weanlings goes a long way towards reducing pneumonia, having a vaccination programme that covers the main respiratory diseases in advance of the housing period should be considered on all farms.
Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), parainfluenza-3 (PI3) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the three main causes of infection. Speak to your vet about which products you should use coming into the autumn. If you vaccinated calves in the spring, you only need to give single booster shots now. If, however, these are their first vaccinations, you may have to give a primary and a booster shot. Shop around for the best value as there can be huge differences in the prices charged from one veterinary practice to the next for the exact same products.
This article first appeared in the Teagasc Beef Advisory Newsletter for October, which was edited by Teagasc Beef Specialist Catherine Egan.