Grass10 Newsletter - 10th January 2023
Happy New Year to all readers of the Grass10 weekly newsletter!
Predicted Rainfall
Counties map showing predicted rainfall (mm) for the next 7 days.
This is from farms involved in Elodie Ruelle’s MoSt grass growth model on 78 farms.
Predicted Grass Growth
Counties map showing predicted grass growth over the next 7 days.
This data is from farms involved in the MoSt grass growth model (78 farms).
Grass 10 Weekly Checklist
Soil sample your farm during January
After 2022 the year in which we have seen record high input prices, it is vital to have up to date & accurate soil samples which will be key to navigating your way through the upcoming grazing season. Information from DAFM showed us that Nitrogen fertiliser applications were down 19% and P and K applications were down almost 30% in 2022. Soil sampling results gives accurate information on our soil nutrient status ( Phosphorus, Potassium & Lime) and gives a good basis to work off when it comes to tailoring our lime, slurry and chemical fertiliser application to ensure maximum fertiliser efficiency is achieved with all fertilisers applied on farms.
Early January is a great time to take soil samples before any chemical fertiliser or slurry is applied on Irish farms. The results of a soil analysis are only as good as the sample on which it is based. See info below on taking quality soil samples
Review your 2022 reports on PastureBase Ireland
A big hit last year with farmers was the PastureBase Scorecard. It is a self-appraisal to achieve grazing excellence. It requires you to review your PastureBase reports which highlight the grazing, clover and nutrient performance of your farm for 2022. If you haven't already, make this an absolute priority this week. Put aside 1 hour to sit down, and take the time to go through your reports and fill out the scorecard. Working smart is not limited to out on the farm. Some of the best farmers in the country are using the PastureBase Scorecard to identify where they can make further improvements in 2023.
Review paddock sizes and farm map on PastureBase Ireland
Before opening AFC is completed on farms, it is an ideal opportunity to make adjustments to your paddocks on PastureBase Ireland i.e. you may have amalgamated two paddocks into one on the farm but these may still be two paddocks on PBI. You can also map the farm on PastureBase Ireland and use this map to have accurate paddock sizes You can “edit” or “remove” paddocks and adjust areas in the “Paddock” section on PastureBase Ireland. See video below from Micheal O Leary on mapping your farm on PastureBase Ireland
Register for PastureBase week from 16th – 20th January (next week)
PastureBase usage is growing year on year, and why wouldn't it be with the incredible service it offers farmers. To support and celebrate this, we are hosting PastureBase Week from 16th-20th January 2023. As part of this, we will host a one-hour webinar each day at 1pm. Each webinar will focus on the different features of PastureBase to equip you with the know-how to achieve grazing excellence in 2023. See detailed info below on the timetable for the week.
Tips to taking good quality soil samples
1) Ensure you have a suitable soil corer
2) Ensure soil cores are taken to the correct sampling depth of 100 mm (4”
3) Take a soil sample every 2 to 4 ha. (5-10 acres)
4) Take a representative soil sample by walking in a W shaped pattern across the sampling area.
5) Avoid any unusual spots such as old fences, ditches, drinking troughs, dung or urine patches or where fertiliser / manures or lime has been heaped or spilled in the past.
6) Take a minimum of 20 soil cores, mix them together, and take a representative sub-sample for analysis, making sure the soil sample box is full
7) Enter soil sample results into PastureBase Ireland in the “Soil Test Results” section and tailor your fertiliser application in 2023 to what the paddock requires based on the soil analysis.
PastureBase Week January 2023
Monday, 16th January | 1pm
Registering, Setting up paddocks & farm mapping
Starting off the week, Monday’s session will be for people who are new to PastureBase Ireland. We will begin by showing you how to get registered on PastureBase Ireland. We then will move on to setting up the different paddocks on your grazing block and creating a farm map.
Tuesday, 17th January | 1pm
Completing a grass walk & key terminology
On Tuesday, we will begin by completing a grass walk both on the desktop version and also on the PastureBase app. Once this is completed we will help you to understand the key terminology that is on the weekly wedge.
Wednesday, 18th January | 1pm
Projected Planner & making decisions off your grass wedge
Moving on to Wednesday, we start getting into more detail with your PastureBase grass wedge. Firstly we will look at the projected planner which helps you to run scenarios for your farm throughout the grazing season. We then will look at the other tools and targets for the different times of the year which will help to make better decisions when it comes to grazing management on your farm.
Thursday, 19th January | 1pm
Rotation planners, grass budget & soil sampling
On Thursday, we will show you how rotation planners help to plan certain areas to graze at different times of the year. The grass budget is also a very popular tool that aids in planning out grazing, particularly in the spring and autumn of the year. We will also introduce you to the soil sampling recording area on PastureBase which will lead us into the area of nutrient management in Friday’s session.
Friday 20th January | 1pm
Fertiliser and slurry recording & clover management
Lastly on Friday, we will look at nutrient management side of PastureBase Ireland which is becoming increasingly important as we move into an era of lower N use. We will start with showing you how to record slurry, chemical fertiliser, FYM and dairy washings on both the desktop and the app. We will then show you how to view the different reports to view total applications throughout a given year.
To finish we will look at the area of clover management where we will show you how to record different levels of clover in paddocks so as to leave it easier for N management throughout the year.
Use the Scorecard below to review 2022 PastureBase Performance
Mapping your farm with PastureBase Ireland
