Herd Tasks: Your weekly farming checklist
Check water troughs regularly, as clean water will encourage more consistent intake patterns.
- It looks like the soil moisture deficit may become even more severe, with the medium-term forecast exceptionally dry — this is already bringing challenges with grass growth, and it will be important to identify any slowdown quickly so you can adjust your rotation length and supplementary feeding accordingly.
- Even if growth has slowed down, if you currently have covers that are too heavy to graze, they must be removed ASAP.
- Very strong grass is not grazed properly and results in poor energy intakes and a drop-off in animal performance.
- You must keep yields up as it is still only July. Cows should not be slipping back in yield significantly, unless they are not getting enough energy and protein.
- Supplement appropriately 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 quality grass allocation.
- Continue to supplement suckled cows at grass with magnesium to prevent tetany — bucket licks or add to water.
- Consider introducing creep to spring calves to help reduce grass demand and take some pressure off cows where grass may get tight.
- Summer can be a challenging time for weaned calves as they get used to grazing for their first season. Keep supplementing with concentrates to optimise growth, supply minerals and complement available grass. Supply straw to spring dairy calves to optimise fibre intake and rumination efficiency.
- If weaning has occurred in the autumn suckler herd, watch for individual weanlings that may be stressed.
- Are they vaccinated?
- Are they eating the meal being allocated?
- Are they grazing properly?
- Any panting or leaving the group for long periods or lying down for long spells?
- Watch cattle on heavy feeding to get the final finish are not getting digestive upsets.
- Look for loose dungs, cud balls, drooling of saliva, and lameness.
- Provide a good fibre source such as straw to promote cudding.
- Check water troughs regularly as clean water will encourage more consistent intake patterns.
