Following a rather wet and cold winter, the increasing day length and higher temperatures in mid-February provided the first signs of the new grass growing season, and allowed field work to commence on many farms. However, early March has seen a return to wet and cold conditions, and ground conditions are difficult again in many places.
Andrew Dale and Elaine Vance discuss current grazing management at AFBI, Hillsborough
A further feature of spring 2009 has been the disappointing milk price forecasts, which are forcing many farmers to re-examine their cost structure, and in particular, options to reduce feed costs. Making more effective use of grazed grass should be a key priority this summer, beginning with the early inclusion of grass into the diet this spring.
GrassCheck returns to monitor growth
If you really want to manage your grassland effectively in 2009, then keeping on top of sward quality during the rapidly changing growing conditions in March and early April is essential. To assist with decisions at this critical stage of the season, the GrassCheck project will recommence in late March. The weekly bulletins that are provided as part of this project provide details of actual and predicted grass growth and quality across Northern Ireland. The project, which is jointly funded by AgriSearch and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), will record grass growth at six sites throughout 2009: Aghadowey, Antrim, Fintona, Hillsborough, Loughgall and Portaferry.
The GrassCheck sites were cut and fertilised for the first time on the 17 February. This was a week later than originally planned as the snow and wet weather during January resulted in difficult ground conditions in early February. The harvest taken at this stage allowed winter growth (from mid November) to be determined. Given the cold winter, winter grass growth was minimal across the sites. Portaferry recorded the most winter growth at around 2.5 kg DM per ha per day, while growth at the other sites averaged around 1 kg DM per ha per day. However, the warmer conditions through late February did provide improved growing conditions, with the Portaferry plots recording a growth rate of 8 kg DM per ha per day since mid-February. These plots will receive a total of 270 kg N per ha throughout the grazing season. In addition, soil moisture and soil and air temperature will be recorded at each site.
While the grass growing potential of 2009 is as yet unknown, sward management in early season can have a significant impact on total herbage production over the season. Delaying turnout, or feeding high levels of supplement to grazing cows in early season, can allow excess grass to accumulate. In addition, lax grazing in May will have a detrimental effect on herbage quality and subsequent performance during the latter part of the grazing season. Thus it is vital that farmers are prepared and informed from the outset.
Reacting quickly to changes in grass growing conditions is vital, and this is only possible if you are monitoring what is happening within your grazing area. If you have not already done so, start now by ‘walking your paddocks’ to assess current herbage availability and sward conditions. Each year is very different, and using historic calendar dates to determine turnout can be very misleading. GrassCheck data from previous years has highlighted that early season growth can vary considerably, with growth rates in late March - early April ranging from 8.0 kg DM per ha per day (recorded in 2006) to 36 kg DM per ha per day (recorded in 2005).
Monitoring your grazing swards is both a discipline and a skill, and will only be effective if carried out routinely. Regularly assessing the quantity of grass available for your grazing herd has the potential to substantially reduce your costs of production. In addition, the weekly GrassCheck bulletins can be used to strengthen your observations, and provide that extra bit of confidence required to make informed grassland management decisions. As grass growth begins to increase through March and April, use the weekly GrassCheck bulletins to help you plan ahead and to better match grass supply to demand. In addition to the weekly press bulletins the information is updated weekly on our website and on the DARD website at the links below:
For more information contact:
Mr
Andrew Dale
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
Large Park
Hillsborough
Co. Down
BT26 6DR
or
Mr David Mackey
College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE)
Greenmount Campus
Antrim
