Getting Ready for 2025 Dairy Season

By Michael Donoghue, B&T Dairy Adviser, Teagasc Galway/Clare

The 2024 dairy season is starting to wind down on most spring calving dairy herds with 6 to 8 weeks milking left before drying off for the year. Decisions made over the next few weeks will have long lasting consequences for the profitability for the dairy business in 2025. Some of the key areas are discussed below.

Grass:

After a wet August followed by mainly dry weather in September and October so far, 2024 is finishing on a really positive note from a grass perspective. However never forget that spring grass is twice as valuable to stock as autumn grass. So take full advantage of the current conditions, but don’t be tempted to go back in and graze fields again. Grass grown in October will be the grass that will provide that vast bulk of the grass available between the start of grazing and mid-March. Indeed 70% to 80% of the farm should be closed by the 1^St of November to ensure enough grass for the spring.

When the cows finally finish grazing may well be determined by wet weather and that’s fine. For those that will keep grazing into November continue to walk to the weekly and finish grazing when Average Farm Cover, AFC, hits 650 Kg/ Ha.

BCS:

The general rules for dry cow periods are

• Cows 8 Weeks
• 1^st Lactation Cows 12 Weeks

So for a 1^st lactation cow calving in the 1^st week of February she will be due to be dried pretty soon.  Indeed if that same cow needed a bit extra TLC, so was lame, thin or expecting twins, ect. she would need an extra 2 to 4 weeks dry. So these 1^st calvers should be dried ASAP. The periods above are based on good silage, greater than 67 DMD, if this is not the case ration will be required and/ or longer dry.

Drying Off Cows:

Drying off cows is often viewed as a tedious and time consuming job but is probably one of the most important jobs of the dairy year. Get it right and it offers the opportunity to potentially cure cows with mastitis and permanently lower the SCC. However get it wrong and quarters can be lost or cows get very sick.

The critical thing when drying off cows is hygiene and not rushing. Cows should be clipped and separated before drying off. Small batches should be done in a day, 10 to 20 depending on help. Wear gloves and disinfect the teat end well before inserting dry cow tube/ sealer. Ideally cows should go out to a dry field for a week but if this is not possible cubicles need to be kept very clean while the cows soak up.

Where milk recording is available select dry cow therapy should be considered in consultation with your vet. The whole herd policy of dry cow tubing all cows in the herd, without a valid reason, is no longer an option from a legislative point of view.

Personal Time:

2024 is finishing on a positive but the beginning and middle were tough. So make sure to dry cows off and take 6 to 8 weeks without milking to refresh both body and mind. Take the chance to finish early and get away from the farm if at all possible.  February will come around quickly and it will be all hands to the pump again!

Above are 4 key areas that will affect the profitability of the dairy business in 2025. Of course there are more that will need to be addressed but get the above 4 correct and 2025 will start off a lot easier.