NOW,DOYOURFORAGEBUDGET…
NOW,DOYOURFORAGEBUDGET…
By Jessica Buss
BEFORE panicking about silage shortages this month, producers should work out how much forage, including grass for grazing, will be available until early April.
Assessing forage stocks, until grass growth meets stock demand, will identify whether there really will be a shortage, advises MDC grazing consultant Paul Bird.
"Start by working out exactly how much silage and other feeds are in stock; including hay and straw when they are available. Then check how much grass is on the farm now."
Many producers will find that grass cover over the farm is high. Those that planned and managed autumn grazing well will have grass available for early spring grazing. Where cover is low it may highlight the need for better planning next autumn, he adds.
Producers will also need to work out week by week how much grass is likely to grow until early April, using previous measurements in the area or estimated figures for daily grass growth. When the total is adequate to meet forage demand from cows there should be little need to buy extra feed, providing suitable access to paddocks allows cows to graze.
"Even in wet conditions, farms with good access to grazing will be able to turnout early." Cows can achieve good intakes even when they are only out for 2-3 hours.
"Some producers practise this on-off grazing technique after both morning and afternoon milking.
"It is also best to try to ensure cows have an edge on their appetite before they go out." Mr Bird recommends aiming for silage to run out 2-3 hours before milking.
When permanent tracks are not available to access the first fields for grazing, it is possible to put in temporary sacrifice tracks using an electric fence along the side of a field, he says.
"But when on heavy soil these tracks can only be used four or five times." For heavier use a permanent track is needed.
While on-off grazing is useful, some producers are planning to have cows out by day in early February and by night shortly after. However, this is only possible with a moderate stocking rate and high enough covers. "It is important to ensure grass will not run out before April."
Between February and April aim to graze the whole farm, he advises. "Plan this out by sitting down with a farm map and writing down roughly how long cows should stay in each paddock." This should be based on turning cows out on to paddocks with the highest covers, which should be about 2500kg dry matter/ha.
DONTPILEIN CONCENTRATE
EVEN though milk supplies are well below quota, it may be uneconomic to feed extra concentrate to increase fresh calvers, yields when it results in poor grazing of pasture.
Paul Bird believes that when stocking rate is low enough, grass is good quality and supply adequate, the return from feeding concentrate is not that good.
"It would be a mistake to pile in concentrates this spring and allow grass quality to deteriorate for the rest of the grazing season."
However, when feeding little concentrate it is important to ensure cows receive adequate magnesium, selenium and copper. "Magnesium can be put in water and magnesium oxide dusted on grass before grazing. Selenium and copper can either be provided in drinking water using special dispensers or given via boluses or injections." *
Assessing grass cover and calculating what will grow up to April may reveal adequate forage stocks this spring, says Paul Bird.
FORAGE BUDGET
• Assess silage stocks.
• Check grass cover.
• Work out what will grow.