Dairy Newsletter - August 2022
Type Newsletter
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In this month's edition:
PastureBase Ireland data over the last few years has shown that many dairy farms end up with a lower supply of grass than targeted entering into autumn. August is the crucial month when management priority now shifts from controlling pre-grazing covers to building grass supply. It is important that a rotation length of 28-30 days is reached by September On many farms silage area comes back into grazing in August, thereby lengthening the rotation. Baling out surplus grass covers ceases. If things are not going to plan during August in terms of building grass supply, further action needs to be taken. Non-milking stock should be removed from the milking platform. Additional feed can be introduced for a period to help slow down the rotation. This can be baled silage or meal or a mixture of both. Whatever the choice, it is better that additional feed goes into the herd during August to allow grass supply to pick up rapidly, rather than later on when grass growth is much slower. The growth of grass during the next six weeks is extremely important as the rate of growth (supply) will be less than what is eaten (demand) by mid September in most years