GEARING UP FOR AN EARLY TURNOUT
Michael Doherty, Beef and Sheep Development Adviser, CAFRE, Newry
Murtagh Walls has calculated that for his 50 store cattle and weanlings, every additional day at grass in the spring increases net profit by at least £50. This is brought about by a combination of savings in feed, and also by a boost in daily liveweight gain on early spring grass.
Murtaghs’ farm is situated close to Hilltown and serves as a Farm Focus for the South Down/South Armagh area. A total of 47 suckler cows and a sheep flock comprising of 80 ewes are maintained. His target date for turnout is early to mid-March.
Setting the Sward Up
Having an adequate grass cover that is, 2000KG dry matter/ha (8cm) in order to begin grazing in early March, involves a lot of preparation. In fact, Murtagh begins preparation during the previous summer.
All stock on the farm are rotationally grazed using six to eight fields/paddocks per group. Every effort is made to graze and/or top as low as possible, that is, to five centimeters or less. This results in a green “butt” to the sward, which promotes the growth of a very dense, leafy sward, capable of fast re-growth after being grazed, even in autumn.
During early/mid-October of this year, good ground conditions allowed Murtagh to continue topping swards where it wasn’t advisable to force vunerable stock. For example, autumn calved cows and their calves grazed tightly, in case grass tetany became an issue . From the 10 October, as each field is grazed off, the gate is closed for the winter. The silage area is the first to be grazed in the spring after an application of approximately 30KG/Ha(half bag/acre) of urea at the first available opportunity from the 1 February.
Getting the Basics Right
A number of other factors are also very important, these include:
Perennial ryegrass swards
– swards dominated by weed grasses produce poor winter growth and don’t respond well to early fertiliser. This type of sward is also more prone to winter “Kill”.An adequate pH status
– adequate lime, that is, soil pH 6.0 to 6.5, is required to maintain a satisfactory ryegrass/clover content.Good fertility
– soil indices of at least two for both phosphate and potash are a must for early growth.
On the Walls’ farm, soil analysis is carried out on a regular basis and, over the past 6/7 years, most of the farm has been reseeded with ryegrass varieties that possess good characteristics for early growth and sward density.
For further information on soil sampling, nutrient management or grass varieties contact your local Beef &Sheep Development Adviser.
Planning for a successful grazing season next year
Prepare for next years grazing season now
