Herd Tasks: Your weekly farming checklist
Consider pre-mowing as an alternative to topping, as it has been very successful on many farms and is far more productive than topping.
- Topping paddocks that were not grazed out properly will be required to produce quality swards for the coming rotations.
- Consider pre-mowing as an alternative to topping, as it has been very successful on many farms and is far more productive than topping.
- Try to prioritise available grass for the most productive stock on the farm.
- Fertiliser application should continue, and some compound if you are allowed to purchase it would be of benefit as soil nutrients seem to have been depleted after all of the rain.
- Start assessing current feed stocks so that you can construct a winter feed budget.
- Watch for mastitis in recently dried off autumn calvers.
- Is dosing for worms required? Test/check dungs and act where necessary.
- Herds continue to show signs of under-supplementation. Low protein in milk means a low energy supply seven to ten days ago. Low fat means they are not digesting sufficient fibre.
- Low urea means they are not getting enough protein. Under supply of protein means poor appetites.
- Poor appetites mean less energy and fibre is consumed; hence the above performance drop off.
- Insufficient intake/protein/energy means low milk yields.
- Cows need to be fed adequately to produce milk.
- Keep them growing and complement available grass, if necessary, before they start to go backwards, if grass quality and availability are not ideal.
