Grass10 Newsletter - 10th May 2022
In this week's newsletter get the regular Grass10 weekly tips, grass growth figures plus details of upcoming webinar on the grass wedge using PastureBase Ireland. Brian McCarthy, Teagasc Clonakility is The Clover Reporter and this week's Grass10 featured farmer is Aidan Maguire, 2021 Drystock GFOTY
195th Edition - 10th May 2022
PastureBase Ireland- Dairy Figures
Grass Dry Matter %
Grass10 Weekly Tips
Tune in to our webinar this Thursday 12th May at 7pm!
The Grass10 & PastureBase Ireland team will host a webinar this Thursday 12th May at 7pm titled " Getting to Grips with the Summer Wedge Using PastureBase Ireland"
We will be joined on the night by 2021 Young Grassland Farmer of the Year Philip Tyndall and 2021 Drystock Grassland Farmer of the Year Aidan Maguire as they discuss getting to grips with the Summer Wedge, understanding and making decisions on PastureBase & fertiliser strategies for the summer months. See below to register.
Very high growth rates this week, walk your farm twice
Grass growth has increased exponentially over the last 7 days, with growth averaging 72 and 65 Kg DM/Ha respectively for Dairy and Drystock farms.
Individual paddocks with greater than 1000 Kg DM/Ha grass cover are going out of control very quickly (growing 100-150 kg/day), so it is essential to complete TWO grass walks this week to keep on top of pre grazing yield. It is already too high at 1673 and 1863 Kg DM/Ha on Dairy and Drystock farms (about 3-5 days of grass needs to be removed from the rotation).
For most farms, the message is NOT " do I have surplus grass in paddocks to bale on my farm?" it is " how many paddocks do I need to remove for surplus bales"
Milk Yield and Liveweight gain are maximised at correct Pre-grazing yield
When pregrazing yield exceeds 1,600 KgDM/ha the feed quality drops, animals can’t eat as much of it, and too much is left behind. This means their output drops and so too will your profit. In a year with high input prices every kg counts.
Leaving too much grass behind results in poor quality in subsequent rotations. High quality swards are more digestible and have more leaf. Poor quality swards have more stem and are less digestible. The difference to dairy farmer is a 5% drop in milk solids (worth about €420 per week for 100 cows). The difference for a beef farmer is 0.2 Kg/head/day in liveweight gain (worth about €175 per week for 50 cattle). High quality grass swards mean grazing at 1,400 KgDM/ha and grazing out to 4cm – what you earn depends on the decision you make.
Use the Projected Planner on PastureBase to keep in line with Grazing Targets
When you complete your Average Farm Cover this week, use the planner on the PBI app and projected wedge to predict where your wedge will be at the end of the next 7 days. This will help with the decision making when it comes to skipping paddocks for surplus bales/ long term silage. The grazing targets are below-;
1. Pregrazing yield should be 1400 KgDM/ha.
2. Average Farm Cover (AFC) should be around 600-700 KgDM/ha.
3. Match demand with grass growth. E.g. growing 65 KgDM/ha per day and need to set demand the same. If stocking rate 4 LU/ha then 65/4 = 16 KgDM Grass per LU + 2kg meal (for total intake 18 KgDM/LU)
4. Rotation Length 18-21 days. E.g. 30ha grazing block / 20 days = Graze 1.5 ha per day
5. Cover/LU should be around 160-180 KgDM/LU. This equates to 12-14 days ahead depending on how much grass is being fed per LU.
Getting to Grips with the Summer Wedge
Join us this Thursday for our webinar where we will highlight how to use PastureBase to generate your grass wedge, understand it, and make good grazing decisions. We are joined by dairy farmer Philip Tyndall (this weeks featured farmer) and beef farmer Aidan Maguire who are current Grassland Farmers of the Year to share their experiences. Register below
Grass10 Featured Farmer
Aidan Maguire, Co. Meath
Aidan Maguire farms a calf to beef system outside Navan, Co. Meath. Aidan is the 2021 Drystock Grassland Farmer of the Year. Aidan will be live with us on Thursday nights webinar to tell us how he manages grass during the summer months. With grass growth reaching 114 KgDM/ha/day, Aidan has already four paddocks baled for silage. Click to read about his current grazing situation.
PastureBase Ireland - Drystock Figures
Brian McCarthy, Teagasc Clonakility
This section will give weekly reports and videos from farmers who have a lot of clover established on their farms.
This week, researcher Brian McCarthy from Teagasc Clonakilty, Co. Cork gives us an update on the reseed and oversowing that is taking place on the research farm over the coming weeks
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