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Minimise the effects of the bad weather
By Joe Sheehy
Nothing can be done about the weather, and the priority for every farmer is to minimise the effect it is having on their business.
Achieving this is not easy or cheap.Much of our milk comes from heavy land, and farmers in these areas have been badly hit — but even on dry land the weather effects are severe.
The first step for farmers is to confine the weather damage to as short a period as possible.
This has largely been done with on-off grazing, keeping animals in by night, feeding silage and extra concentrates — all costly and troublesome, especially for those who have little or no silage available.
However, compared with the cost of taking such action, where required, the costs associated with not doing so are much greater. For example, if paddocks are cut up too badly, they will not produce much grass for the remainder of the year.
If cows are not adequately fed, milk production will suffer, and will not recover when conditions improve, and infertility of cows and heifers is likely to be adversely effected. If replacements are neglected, it will have long-lasting effects. The health of animals is also likely to be affected by the lowering of animal immunity.
Unfortunately, concentrate prices are very high, but where they are required they are still value for money.
For example, in the context of milk production in poor conditions, 4kg of concentrates, costing €1.04 (€260/t), should give at least 4kg to 5kd of extra milk, worth at least €1.15, as well as keeping cows in satisfactory condition. Where more than 5kg of concentrates are required, the best quality silage available should be fed. Replacement stock must also be assessed, to ensure that they are achieving weight targets. Calves are vulnerable in bad grazing conditions and should get adequate supplements. Getting damaged paddocks back into shape is a priority. Some clean-but-damaged paddocks will respond well to top- seeding with grass and clover seed.
High-N compounds are likely to give better results than straight N.
Silage
Some good quality silage was harvested in the last half of May. Crops were lighter than normal, but quality was good. Unexpectedly, much of this silage has been fed, leaving a hole in the winter feed supply.
Other farmers were lucky to have a good supply of silage left over after an early grazing season (which proved that having a reserve of silage is a good practice).
Unfortunately, silage making during most of June was difficult, and some very wet silage was made.
Due to poor growth, many silage areas had to be grazed in May and June, leaving a big gap in winter feed supplies.
A lot of silage crops have been ready to be cut since June. They are deteriorating, but if ground conditions are poor, there is no point damaging the ground, which could have long-term effects.
When these crops are cut, there is likely to be damage to the pastures due to lodging. Again, some top-seeding should be considered. These silage crops are likely to be low in DMD, but if they are cut in good weather, and well-preserved, they will provide valuable winter feed.
Every farmer should do a winter-feed budget to ensure adequate winter feed for a long season. If we get a short winter, excess feed can be carried over. Remember, we usually get four bad years in every ten.
However, some farmers are always farming on the edge and stocked too highly for the amount of grass they are producing on their farms.
If you cannot produce sufficient feed for winter on your own farm, the sooner you consider alternatives, the better.
Selling some stock while prices are high might be an option for some.
Farmers on drier land might consider sowing crops, such as kale, to improve the winter-feed situation.
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