Grazing year winding down on Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farms
A year blighted by grassland management challenges, stretching from saturated soils in the first quarter to reduced grass growth rates over the summer months, has ended on a positive note on the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farms. Sandra Hayes, Co-ordinator of the programme, tells us more.
The weather over the last two months has been welcomed on the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farms. It has allowed the grazing year to extend well into late November, something that seemed like a hope rather than a reality when some farmers were faced with lower average farm covers when the autumn closing process began.
Although the farmers enrolled had been well aware of their winter feed requirements and any potential shortfalls that may arise through the regular updating of fodder budgets, the good spell of weather and the resulting extended grazing has allow for substantial savings on silage to be made, while still ensuring farms are set up for grazing next spring.
To ensure the latter is achieved, the Teagasc/Tirlán Future Farmers have been housing stock over the last week or two. For some this is also coinciding with drying off. Spring-calving heifers have now been dried off and most have been given a 12-week dry period. A priority for the farmers is ensuring their cows achieve body condition targets come calving next spring. This will be achieved through careful monitoring and feed management to set up the herd for a successful milk production year in 2025.
The cows on programme farms will receive a 10-week dry period. Additionally, based on the silage reserves and production levels, cows earmarked for culling have either been sold or are being milked until mid to late December before sale.
Soil health
Over the last few weeks, we have also taken the opportunity to investigate soil health on the farms. We have dug soil profiles in many different sites, including: the best clover fields; paddocks containing multi-species swards; poached areas from the springtime; and paddocks that have or have not been reseeded.
This has allowed us to examine the soil structure in these fields and to advise on over-the-winter remedies to help improve damaged soil structure. Such actions include the moving of access points in paddocks that may have been poached to prevent any further damage.