Grass growth is half of normal rate
A grass deficit is expected in the coming weeks, and silage stocks are being preserved by putting all dry cows on a diet of 6kg soya hulls and 4kg of wheaten straw.
The farm grass cover reported last week in the low stocking rate trial was 365 kg of dry matter per hectare. This compares with 545 kg 12 months previously, and is below targets recently revised to take into account this year’s lower than expected opening farm cover and subsequent lower growth rates.
Grass intake in the 2.5 Holstein-Friesian cows per hectare trial is estimated at 10.5kg per cow per day; they were getting 6kg of concentrate.. In the 3.3 cows per hectare trial, the farm cover of 369kg is well behind original and revised targets. They were taking in 5.5kg from grass, 6kg of concentrate, and 4kg of high quality bale silage.
* OIL temperatures fell last week, according to Met Eireann records. At Valentia, the only weather station where the average weekly spring temperature had passed the six degrees needed for grass growth, the temperature fell from 6.1 to 5.5 degrees – 1.9 degrees below normal.
Temperatures ranged as low as 2.3 degrees at Knock Airport, Co Mayo last week.
The biggest shortfall from normal levels was 3.3 degrees at Shannon Airport and Gurteen in north Tipperary.
