Alex McCarthy: Targeting covers and rotation at the end of the grazing season

Alex is targeting a cover of 400kg DM per cow by October 1 and a rotation length of 40 days.

Dairy farmers Michael and Alex McCarthy on their farm at Feenagh, Co Limerick. Picture: Dan Linehan

The cows are delivering 1.87kg of milk solids per day on 5kg of meal. Current production is 22.6L/cow/day, at 4.28% butterfat and 3.77% protein. 

We have increased the meal recently to help build an autumn cover of grass. SCC is currently 92, which is very satisfactory. We have competed our scan and have 13% empty overall after 11 weeks of breeding.