Reduced soil moisture and high daily temperatures either have already, or will very shortly, impact on daily grass growth on the more heavily stocked livestock farms in the NE, if this dry spell continues. Prompt action is required NOW on many farms.

The following gives a brief snapshot of the April + May rainfall for the last 3 years within our catchment:

The main priority NOW is to reduce daily grass demand to below daily growth rate. This will help 'to hold' grass on your farm; to protect current growth; and to speed up recovery when we do get rain.

A number of actions are highlighted below and each farm is different (based on facilities, labour, machinery, time,
management skills etc.). The priority is that YOU ACT NOW to ration your grass supply. YOU must supplement with either fodder or meals, or a combination of the two, until grass growth recovers & exceeds your animals' requirements for 3-4 days.

SUPPLEMENTING WHERE GRASS IS TIGHT

To maintain grass quality, rotation length must be maintained at c. 25 days; which basically means grazing no more than 4% daily of your available grazing area. You must assess the grass available on this area and supplement with forage and/or concentrates to meet your animals' requirements.  Dairy cows have a high dry matter intake; a useful target figure to have in your head = 18-20 kilos. Cattle and sheep have a total dry matter intake (DMI) requirement of typically 2.0-2.2% of liveweight eg. a 500kg bullock requires c. 10 kilos; a 70kg ewe requires 1.4 kilos. Currently grass DM content is high at c. 21%.

High fibre straights - can be fed eg. soya hulls, sugar beet pulp or palm kernel up to a rate of 3-4 kilos per cow. On farms where grass is getting very tight introducing a coarse ration, containing a blend of both energy & digestible fibre ingredients, may best fit the bill.

On dairy farms with in-parlour feeders increasing nuts/ration is a straight-forward short-term solution. Introducing silage may also suit, & we are urging our customers to complete an early winter fodder budget. This will give YOU plenty of time to take action to avoid a fodder shortage next autumn/winter. As a general rule of thumb if a dairy farmer needs to feed more than 7 kilos of concentrates in the parlour for a period we would recommend a third feed (ie. a 'mid-day snack' or 'buffer feed') be introduced.

Where grass is reduced in your animals' diet; and/or grass silage or an alternative forage introduced; the protein content of the ration you feed will likely need to increase in order to correctly balance the overall diet.

WATER

Ensure animals at grass have full access to clean water.
A 500kg bullock will drink c. 50-75 litres of water; a dairy cow may drink c. 120-130 litres; a 70kg ewe may drink c. 9 litres of water in hot weather. To reduce demand per hectare we must either bring a greater area of ground into the rotation; introduce silage; or concentrate supplementation; or reduce the total number of stock out grazing. There are a number of actions here which should be considered.

Grazing Silage Ground

This brings a greater area of land into the rotation and also boosts overall farm cover by bringing in heavy covers of grass. Depending on the situation, this may be done by grazing or zero-grazing. Either way this is a very effective strategy for slowing down the rotation.

Reducing Total Stock Numbers
Can certain livestock either be sold or housed? For example, autumn calving suckler cows could be weaned slightly earlier and housed. This will free up more grass for younger stock whose growth cannot be allowed to suffer. On beef farms it may suit to bring cattle close to finishing indoors.

On dairy farms, replacement heifers could be housed or there may be a number of poorly performing cows which could be culled. With lower milk prices and higher levels of supplementation required in the weeks ahead, lower yielding cows may be leaving very little money.

Dairy

For example, a dairy farmer stocked at 4 LU/ha with a growth rate of 40kg/DM per day but a demand of 72kg/ha (4 cows x 18kg intake) will have a deficit of 32kg/ha or 8kg/cow. This is not a substantial deficit in the short term and can be matched with mostly meal and 1-2kg of long fibre such as hay or straw. Increasing the level of ration in the parlour and offering hay or straw in the field may be the most convenient way of doing this for the short term. If, but hopefully not, the situation worsens any further deficit may have to be met by silage.

Beef & Sheep

• Wean lambs from ewes earlier to prioritise grass for lambs
• Introduce creep feed to lambs
• In dairy calf to beef enterprises 2kg of meal per head per day will keep young cattle thriving where grass is tight

Fertiliser

While grass will struggle to take up nitrogen while the soil is so dry it is crucially important that the nutrient is there when growth does take off again. Watch the forecast closely and get out with some nitrogen ahead of forecasted rainfall. Watery slurry spread with a Low Emission system (Trailing Shoe) should be targeted where any silage has been cut. Every paddock - grazing & silage - needs c. 15-20 units of Sulphur (S) spread before the end of June.

Planning Ahead

Although it is very early days yet and the rain will come, it would be a very valuable exercise to get a handle on what fodder you will require this winter. It may be the case on some farms that the first cut area may have been reduced and/or a second cut may no longer be possible. There are numerous options once you know early on your winter fodder position.

Livestock farmers must be proactive & take action/s promptly to address the current or imminent shortfall in grass supply on their farms. Your local Drummonds Technical Sales Advisor is available to discuss the options which may be open to you. Please do not hesitate to give us a call.