GrassCheck returns as another grass growing season begins

Grazed grass remains an underutilised resource on many Northern Ireland farms. Yet when utilised effectively, systems which optimise the inclusion of grass in dairy cow diets can be highly profitable. Nevertheless, grass is not easily managed, either in terms of maintaining grass quality, or the required quantity. However, when the correct information is available grassland management can be greatly improved. To aid grassland management through the 2010 grazing season, the AgriSearch and DARD funded GrassCheck project returns to monitor grass growth across Northern Ireland.

Following the record breaking cold weather during January, the cold and mainly dry theme has continued into February and early March. Weather data recorded at AFBI Crossnacreevy highlights that average daily soil temperatures remained below 4^oC throughout February and early March.  Although this has resulted in little or no grass growth, ground conditions are good, if not excellent in many areas. However, many swards around the country currently contain significant amounts of brown and dead material.  Nevertheless, the dry matter content of any available grass is high, and the target at this stage should be to graze these fields out cleanly leaving a residual sward height of no more than 4cm. With silage stocks on many farms falling rapidly, turning cows out to graze for even a few hours daily should be a priority.

GrassCheck will continue to report grass growth and quality from six locations: Aghadowey, Antrim, Fintona, Hillsborough, Portaferry and a new site in Tempo, County Fermanagh. As in previous years, the weekly bulletin produced will highlight average and individual growth rates at the six sites. GrassCheck will also continue to include grass growth predictions for one and two weeks ahead, and a comparison of current grass growth with the long term average. The grass plots at all six sites are located in grazing paddocks with predominantly ryegrass based swards. All swards are at least three years old and are representative of the grazing fields on each farm. All sites were cut during the week beginning 8 February and 28 Kg N per ha was applied as urea (½ bag urea/acre). A further 28 Kg N per ha was applied as urea in early March, and weekly cutting has now started.

This year the project will also provide additional information to assist with the interpretation of the growth data. This ‘Grazing Management Focus’ will rotate around all six GrassCheck sites, and will focus on one site each week. This section will provide information on animal performance, grass covers, stocking rates and grass supply, including a ‘grass wedge.’ This additional information will complement the GrassCheck growth and quality data, and will highlight some of the key grazing management issues on each of the six dairy farms throughout the grazing season.

The first GrassCheck bulletin for 2010 is scheduled for release next week, and it will continue weekly thereafter. Knowledge of grass growth is essential if confident and timely grazing management decisions are to be made, and to ensure that grass quality remains high throughout the grazing season. A delayed response to grass surpluses or deficits will increase the costs of producing milk from grazed grass as either additional supplements will have to be fed, or potential milk yields will not be achieved.

As a new grass growing season begins, decide to make full use of the weekly growth bulletins to assist with grazing management decisions on your farm. In addition to the weekly press bulletins the information is available through the internet via the DARD Rural Portal and the AFBI website at www.afbini.gov.uk  

Maite Oiartzun, Andrew Dale and Michael Wills discussing daily grass allocation for the cows currently grazing at AFBI, Hillsborough