Grass10 Update and Newsletter - December 13th 2022
In the final update and newsletter of 2022 get the end of year comments from our 2022 Grassland Farmer of the Year Winners. Find out more about the upcoming PastureBase Week in January 2023.
PastureBase Ireland - Dairy Figures
- Average Farm Cover - 727 Kg DM/Ha
- Pregrazing yield - 1,512 Kg DM/Ha
- Growth - 8 Kg DM/Ha
A Final Comment from our 2022 Grassland Farmer of the Year Winners!
We asked our Grassland Farmer of the Year award winners to give us a learning outcome from the 2022 grazing year and an area of focus/improvement on grassland management for 2023. We would like to thank the award winners for their contributions to our Grass10 Newsletter throughout the year.
Overall & Dairy Winner - Colin Doherty, Adare, Co. Limerick
"Supplement a bit more in October, to not go over the area grazed per day and ensure I get the allocation per cow spot on. I want to reserve more area to graze for November."
"Spread the target amount of chemical N up until the end May and reduce fertiliser use from June onwards whilst maintaining grass growth."
Drystock Winner - Aidan Maguire, Navan, Co. Meath
"Measuring grass in 2022 was the most important job I did on the farm. It kept grass and thrive with the cattle even during the drought."
"In 2023, I hope to sow 10 more acres of red clover mix and reduce chemical fertiliser by another 10-15%."
Sustainable Farming Winner - John & Brendan Walsh, Ballylooby, Co. Tipperary
"PastureBase wedge every 5 days during the mid season helped us keep on top of grassland management in what was a grazing year of variation on our farm"
"We are targeting to reduce chemical N usage to 100Kg N/Ha on the milking block in 2023 while maintaining annual tonnage"
Mixed Soils Winner - Sean O Donnell, Ballina, Co. Mayo
“Maintaining key grazing targets during 2022 at all times led to increased tonnage grown my farm.”
“Reseed another 20% of my farm with clover and manage/improve existing grass-clover swards during 2023."
Young Farmer Winner - Philip Tyndall, Bunclody, Co. Wexford
"Put supplement in earlier and hold AFC instead of eating into AFC and having to feed harder for longer.
"Reducing nitrogen worked well on paddocks with good clover content so increasing the amount of area with clover in it during 2023."
Farm Innovation Winner - Brigid Carroll, Ballycanew, Co. Wexford
"Stitched-in 5ha with grass-clover in April and only spread soiled water on them and they were a great success, very happy with the performance with no chemical N spread."
"Will definitely be stitching-in or oversowing more clover on paddocks with good fertility. Hoping to reseed another 5ha in 2023."
Drystock Finalist - Shane Moore, Athleague, Co. Roscommon
" Regular soil sampling throughout the last 5 years allowed me to reduce fertiliser application this year while not impacting grass growth"
"Using the days ahead figure on the weekly wedge on PastureBase to make targeted N applications in 2023"
Reviewing is a Habit of Success
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. If you want to join them, click below.
Review of 2022 with PastureBase Ireland Webinar
Did you miss our webinar last week titled " Review of 2022 with PastureBase Ireland" with dairy farmer Willie Dennehy?
Not to worry! Grab a cup of tea some evening and watch our webinar back by clicking the link below
Click here to watch back on last week's webinar
PastureBase Ireland - Dairy Figures
- Average Farm Cover - 622 Kg DM/Ha
- Pregrazing yield - 1,322 Kg DM/Ha
- Growth - 10 Kg DM/Ha
PastureBase Week January 2023
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. Agenda as follows:
Monday - Registering, setting up paddocks & mapping the farm
Tuesday - Completing a grass walk & key terminology
Wednesday - Projected planner & making decisions off your grass wedge
Thursday - Rotation planners, grass budget & soil sampling
Friday - Fertiliser & slurry recording + clover management
Grass10 Newsletter Survey
We are coming up to our 1st anniversay with the E-format of the Grass10 Newsletter! We would like to hear your opinion of the newsletter and areas your feel you would like improved for 2023. The 10 question survey will take you less than 5 minutes to complete! Thank you!
