Grass10 Newsletter - 13th September 2022

Get your weekly tips from the Grass10 team. It includes: PastureBase Ireland Dairy and Drystock figures; Grass10 featured farmer - Shane Seymour; The Clover Reporter with Jeremy Furlong; Autumn Cattle Slurry and FYM Advice; Grassland Farmer of the Year farm walks; and more.

213th Edition - 13th September 2022

PastureBase Ireland - Dairy Figures

• Average Farm Cover - 634 Kg DM/Ha
• Cover/LU - 215 Kg DM/Ha
• Growth - 40 Kg DM/Ha
• Demand 35 Kg DM/Ha - Stocking rate 2.93 LU/Ha
• Pregrazing yield - 1,452 Kg DM/Ha
• Diet - 10.5 Kg DM Grass - 4 Kg Meal - 2.5 Kg Silage

Predicted Grass Growth

Counties map showing predicted grass growth over the next 7 days from farms involved in Elodie Ruelle’s MoSt grass growth model (78 farms).

Predicted rainfall

Counties map showing predicted rainfall (mm) for the next 7 days from farms involved in Elodie Ruelle’s MoSt grass growth model (78 farms).

Grass Dry Matter %

• Ballyhaise 15.5%
• Moorepark 14.2%
• Grange 17%

Grass10 Weekly Tips

Keep supplement in the diet to build cover

Rain over the past week was welcome in most areas with Met Eireann maps indicating that soil moisture deficit is low and soil temperatures are 2-3˚C above normal which is great news for grass growth. PBI data shows AFC is building on farms.

Rainfall for the week ahead looks low in most places and grass growth predictions are ranging from 46-59 KgDM/ha. However, farmers should continue to keep supplement in the diet to hold a low demand. This will allow AFC to build further.

Farms recovering from drought should aim to get AFC ~800 KgDM/ha (about 75-80% of target). Do not be tempted to let off the handbrake yet – every kilo of grass grown now will mean even more grass for October when growth rates will reduce. Remember grass grows grass, so capitalise on the good conditions now!

Feeding 4 KgDM silage per LU when stocked at 3.0 LU/ha will allow AFC to build nearly an extra 100 Kg DM/ha in a week. The advice is to keep 2 x 30+ day rotations for the last 2 grazing rotations i.e. on a 30ha farm graze 1ha per day. This will help recovery and allow grass plants to reach the 3-leaf stage before grazing! Keep the stripwire up when supplement is being fed to not waste any feed! Remember to keep up weekly grass measurements through the autumn.

September 14th - last day to apply chemical N and P

Wednesday, 14th September is the last day allowed for farmers to apply chemical nitrogen and phosphorus. Make sure that any paddocks that have N spread are on a long rotation to increase/optimise N response. Use organic manures over the next few weeks to boost grass growth into the autumn. See below advice from Mark Plunkett, Teagasc Researcher at Johnstown Castle, on getting the most from manures in the autumn.

Get your Grassland Farmer of the Year entry form in this week!

This year’s Grassland Farmer of the Year competition has been extended until Friday, 16th September for enteries. The competition recognises and acknowledges those dairy, beef and sheep farmers who are achieving high levels of grass utilisation in a sustainable manner. This year’s competition has 7 different categories for you to enter-:

• Dairy
• Drystock
• Clover/Sustainable farming
• Heavy soils/Disadvantaged Land
• Innovation
• Young Farmer (under 30 years)*
• Organic Farmer

Click on the link below for more information and to enter. Good luck!

Click here to enter the 2022 Grassland Farmer of the Year Competition! 

Farms with good growth should check grazing targets

Some farms, mainly in the west and north, experienced good grass growth through August and early Sept. These farms have managed to build grass as they normally would. As we approach the middle of Sept, now is a good time for those farms to reassess where they are in relation to the autumn grazing targets. Continue to walk your farm weekly and compare your AFC to targets below. AFC should peak over the next few weeks just before the last rotation begins. This can range from late September to mid-October depending on the farm. Mid September targets for different levels of stocking rate-:

• 2.5 LU/Ha - 1000 Kg DM/Ha AFC
• 3.0 LU/Ha - 1050 Kg DM/Ha AFC
• 3.5 LU/Ha - 1100 Kg DM/Ha AFC

Autumn Cattle Slurry and FYM Advice

Mark Plunkett from Teagasc Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford informs us of the earlier spreading deadline for cattle slurry and FYM this year of October 7th and tips to maximise the use of slurry this Autumn. 

View cattle slurry and FYM advice here

Grass10 Featured Farmer

Shane Seymour, Co. Tipperary

Shane Seymour milks 189 cows on 59 Ha just outside Nenagh in Co. Tipperary. Shane is the host farmer for the Nenagh Grass10 Group. 

Following the drought, Shane has being supplementing hard in order to keep demand low and allow AFC to recover. It has recovered from 400 Kg DM/Ha to 689 Kg DM/Ha. Click here to read more

PastureBase Ireland - Drystock Figures

• Average Farm Cover - 660 Kg DM/Ha
• Pregrazing yield - 1,640 Kg DM/Ha
• Growth - 35 Kg DM/Ha
• Stocking rate - 2 LU/Ha
• Demand - 30Kg DM/Ha
• Days ahead - 22

Grassland Farmer of the Year Farm Walks

Aidan Maguire's Farm Walk - Meath

Aidan Maguire pictured above with David Argue, his Teagasc Advisor, opening the farm walk

Aidan Maguire, the 2021 Drystock GFOY winner, held a farm walk on the evening of August 31st which was well attended. Three key things farmers should take from Aidan’s walk:

1. Aidan has transformed his farm in 4 years. He swung his net margin from -€28/ha to + €800/ha. What an achievement on a beef farm!
2. Aidan’s attitude to learning from experts and applying this knowledge is exceptional and something everyone can develop.
3. Aidan attributes most of the improvement in profitability to better grassland management, the paddock system and measuring grass.

“When I measure my grass it’s like I’m counting my money! When the grass is growing well, my business is growing well!” – Aidan

Colin Doherty's Farm Walk - Limerick

Pictured (left to right): Majella Moloney (Teagsac Regional Manager), Richard Lanigan (FBD), Shane McCarthy (AIB), Colin Doherty (GFOY Winner), John O'Loughlin (Grassland Agro), Aidan Brennan (IFJ), Joseph Dunphy (Grass10).

Colin Doherty, the Overall and Dairy GFOY winner, held a farm walk last Tuesday. The Doherty’s farm is recovering from drought but Colin is hopeful he will get a good growth this autumn. Three key messages from his walk were:

1. His goal is to grow 15 T DM/ha of pasture using only 150 Kg N/ha.
2. Meeting all the targets for grazing during the year is helping grow the pasture. Especially a closing farm cover of 750 KgDM/ha in mid-Nov, 40% of the farm grazed by 1st March, and pre-grazing yield 1200-1300 KgDM/ha in the summer.
3. The level of grass utilised on the farm drives the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of his farming system.

The Clover Reporter

Jeremy Furlong, Co. Tipperary

This section will give weekly reports and videos from farmers who have a lot of clover established on their farms.

This week, we feature contract rearer Jeremy Furlong from Co. Tipperary who discusses reseeding with Red Clover silage mix in 2021 and his management during 2022.

Jeremy Furlong's red clover Q &A

Autumn Grazing Targets

Upcoming Grassland Farmer of the Year Walk 

Click here for more information and to watch the promo video 

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