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Foyle Food Group
15 Sep 2021
Maintain your cattle performance as the seasons change and ensure Cross-Compliance on farm
Ideal growing conditions in NI are resulting in rapid growth 54-57Kg/ DM/ Day, high for the time of year. This should enable cattle to continue grazing as the paddock platform should be able to support them. However, it is important to remember the impact of Autumn and winter grazing on turn-out and carrying capacity next Spring. A number of other important dates regarding grassland must be remembered.
2021 NI fertiliser spreading period ends
Across the UK farmers will be spreading the last round of nitrogen fertiliser on grassland today (September 15th). Here are some tips to get the most from this investment and grow the maximum grass:
• Target drier paddocks with good infrastructure, good soil and pH levels.
• Avoid paddocks with wet and waterlogged areas as we approach a time of increased worm burden risk.
• Target paddocks where silage has been removed, so the cattle replace the nutrients.
Feeding Beef Cattle at Grass
As damp or wet weather conditions creep in over the coming weeks, remember that grass dry matter (DM) will continue to fall and grass quality will fall simultaneously. If grass covers are looking good on farm, you may find that beef cattle are not overly keen on their meal but this will change quite quickly should the wet weather arrive. Beef cattle coming close to finish will require supplementary feeding at grass to offset the drop in grass quality. Assess your finishing ration to make sure the highest quality ingredients are being used, ensuring a high energy ration with sufficient protein. As a rule of thumb cattle should be fed at a rate of 0.5kg/100kg of live weight where there is sufficient grass on farm and 1kg/100kg of live weight where grass is in shorter supply.
Closing Paddocks for Spring
As we approach October, it’s time to put some thought into where you want to be grazing next Spring! First paddocks closed may not be the first paddocks grazed next Spring.
Older swards of grass should be grazed down tight to 4cm residual over the next 4 weeks before being left to grow over the winter to avoid heavy covers that will turn white with a mat of grass at the base of the sward.
As we enter October maintain focus on the Autumn grazing objectives
1. Keep grass in the cow’s diet to maximise days at grass and benefit cow performance—Worth €1.80/ £1.53 per LU per day in Autumn.
2. Set the farm up during the final rotation to grow grass over winter and provide grass for spring 2021 – worth €2.70/ £2.30 per LU per day next Spring.
Key Upcoming Dates & things to remember: 15th October the slurry ban begins until 1st February
• If wet weather is forecast avoid slurry applications on steep slopes.
• Respect the buffer zone along watercourses and rivers.
16 Dec 2024
16 Dec 2024
16 Dec 2024
Visit our Agricultural Requirements page for useful downloads including:
FCI England, FCI Northern Ireland, FCI Republic of Ireland, HP-CIA & High Genetic Sires Recommended List