Maintain average farm cover

Some areas are yet to get rain.  Soil moisture deficits are starting to severely restrict growth with grass growth rates of <35kgDm reported.  Hopefully some rain will fall over the weekend and during the early days of next week.

In the meantime, and if the rain bypasses you, our primary focus now is to drop our daily grass demand in line with our daily grass growth.  This will maintain average farm cover and ensure that when the bounce comes that our farms are set up take off.

Dropping your farm covers too low during times of restricted growth slows the recovery once the bounce comes and will lead to heavier feeding for longer.

To keep grass demand inline with growth we can:

• grazed silage ground (if not already cut),
• moved stock off the main grazing platform (if other land is available)
• or in reality the only option available will be to increase our concentrate feeding.

Your cows will eat 17kgs DM of grass with 0 concentrates.

Every 2.5kg of concentrates (fresh) drops your grass demand by 2kgs DM (Fresh weight feeding vs dry matter feeding)

At 2.5kgs concentrates your cows are eating 15kgs grass

If your stocked at 3 Lu to the Ha, your cows are eating 45kgDM grass daily.

However, if your stocked at 4 Lu to the Ha, your cows are eating 60kgDM grass daily.

At 4kgs concentrates your cows are eating 13.5kgs grass

If your stocked at 3 Lu to the Ha, your cows are eating 40kgDM grass daily.

However, if your stocked at 4 Lu to the Ha, your cows are eating 55kgDM grass daily.

Growth rates of below demand eat into your farms average farm cover .

Average farm cover must be maintained at >550kgs as a very minimum, higher than 600kgs where possible.

Differing quantities of concentrates will be needed at differing stocking rates and growth rates to meet demand.

Below is a general guide but for any more specific queries please contact your local area sales manager

Concentrates needed at differing stocking rates and differing growth rates to match growth with demand.

You wanted to green for AFC change, a slight change is manageable over the short term but big negative figures are a no no.

Concentrates can be dairy feed, beef feeds, straights and at very high concentrate feeding levels some silage can be used to replace the concentrates.

Try and keep 33-50% of the cows diet or 6-9kgsDM as a forage.  This is needed to maintain rumen function.  But keep an eye on milk butterfats.

If you cows need a forage source her butterfats will drop.