Herd Tasks: Your weekly farming checklist
Don’t mow grass too tight, as it could stunt growth further.
- It looks like the weather will remain very dry for a while yet, so it is essential you lengthen your grazing rotation to ensure you keep grass ahead of stock.
- Topping of paddocks that were not grazed out properly will be essential to produce quality swards for the coming rotations if we get some rain.
- Don’t mow too tight as it could stunt growth further.
- In advance of any rain, it is essential you plan to apply fertiliser in advance of any rain to take full advantage of the growth that moisture will bring.
- There is little point in applying granular fertiliser if no rain is forecast for several days.
- Soil temperatures are currently between 16.1C and 19.3C, which is three to four degrees above average for this time of year, but with no moisture to take advantage of it.
- Try to prioritise the best quality grass for the most productive stock on the farm.
- You must keep yields up as it is a long year ahead.
- Supplement hard to maintain milk and fertility performance.
- If you have a milk urea result, be guided by that from a protein supplementation point of view.
- Sucklers with calves at foot should be priority for grass allocation.
- Continue to supplement suckled cows at grass with magnesium to prevent tetany — bucket licks or add to water. Tetany is very common at the moment.
- Consider introducing creep meal to spring-born calves to reduce grass demand and take some pressure off cows where grass is running out.
