Farmer Focus: Second cut may seed when dry weather ends

The dry weather has been lovely, but I’m sure when it breaks – hopefully this May bank holiday weekend – we will kick ourselves for getting complacent and not finding more dry weather jobs to do.

First cut came off well. We are moving to try to make drier silage with a longer wilt and using a tedder.

See also: Regular analysis advised as drought hits silage quality

About the author

Tom Stable

Tom Stable and family, Ulverston, Cumbria, milk 350 Holsteins three times a day, producing milk for Arla and ice cream for their Cumbrian Cow brand. The 300ha operation, of which two thirds is rented, grows grass, maize and winter wheat and cows average 11,800 litres.

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This has worked so far, with first cut analysing as 42% dry matter, 12.1MJ of metabolisable energy, 16% protein and 4% sugar.

We will start to feed this in a couple of weeks and use it all up by September, ready to refill the pit with maize.

It’s not ideal: I’d rather feed some first cut all year, but it works well with Arla’s seasonality and allows us to double-use the clamp, which helps with us being a bit short in total capacity.

The dry weather has played havoc with our nitrogen applications. However, we decided to put liquid N on the grassland for second cut and for one of the applications on the wheat.

It’s not something we’ve done before, but I thought we didn’t have much choice given the unusual spell of weather.

With no rain for more than three weeks after cutting, I already think second cut will be very poor quality.

The grass will try to head as soon as it gets some moisture, so I am already planning on taking it to the youngstock farm and bringing third and fourth cuts home for the milk cows.

The cows are milking well, producing just over 42 litres at 4.05% fat and 3.15% protein, compared with 38.5 litres at 3.65% fat and 3.22% protein last year. This is a 15% increase in milk solids.

I put most of it down to the move to three-times-a-day, although we have also been managing the transition cows better this spring so far.

We have seen a drop in colostrum quantity recently, which has previously been the first sign of trouble, and we will do some blood tests to check everything is in balance.

Everything else is ticking along nicely; the maize especially has enjoyed this early season sun. I’m sure it’s seen more actual sunshine so far than last year’s crop saw in the whole season.