Brian Reidy: Is there time for one more cut of silage before winter rolls in?
Time is now running out to get any third-cut or bales made so you will be able to bring after-grass into the rotation before closing off for the winter.
I had a very good night at the weanling show and sale in Cahir Mart last Friday. The trade was very strong and all who sold on the night will be happy with the prices achieved.
These events are crucial, particularly for the suckler farmer, who is at long last getting a fair reward for sticking with their cow and calf system. The quality on show was excellent and a credit to the producers.
Well done to the mart for having the foresight to introduce this event for our locality just two years ago. The ring was packed, and it is now a great social event as well as an excellent outlet to show our stock to a wide range of buyers from near and far.
Unfortunately, the weather has deteriorated significantly since the start of September, and for some, ground conditions are difficult, with some dairy herds being housed by night.
Growing conditions, however, are currently good after the badly needed rain, and many farms now have a surplus of grass. Soil temperatures are high and several nitrogen applications put out previously are pushing on growth, albeit low fibre, low dry matter material.
Time is now running out to get any third-cut or bales made so you will be able to bring after-grass into the rotation before closing off for the winter.
Grass will obviously need a bit of a longer wilt at this time of year, particularly if it is being baled, as grass dry matters are currently between 13% and 15%.
Aim to mow grass when the sward is dry, where possible. This minimises the requirement for wilting. The same rules still apply if grass is going in the pit — less than 24 hours on the ground.
After the damp and variable weather we have had recently, there is quite a bit of pneumonia in calves around the country. You will notice these calves are very lethargic at first and lie down a lot.
They tend to be off their feed and suckled calves may not have drunk from their mother for a good while. Try to act quickly by getting them treated before it gets too severe.
A good plane of nutrition will help to prevent illness. If cattle are not achieving sufficient intakes of energy, then their immune systems will be compromised.
The addition of some concentrates and/or some forage will boost energy and dry matter intakes. The concentrates will also include minerals which will help the immune system too.
All stock will struggle to achieve sufficient intake on September grass. Forage supplementation in the form of maize silage, bale silage, pit silage, whole crop will get them off to a good start, and after that, increasing concentrate levels or introducing some will help to maintain animal performance in all dairy and beef animals at this time of year.
