Weather boost for farm pasture growth

Farm management consultant Relatively dry and warm winter weather has resulted in high pasture growth rates, good pasture covers and low levels of pugging on the Stratford Demonstration Farm for June and July and the good weather has continued into August for most days.

The cows have been fed well and are in good condition so the farm is well set up for the spring and calving is now well under way.

After a wet May, rainfall for June, at 179mm, was near average levels while July was only around 34 per cent of average levels with perfect weather in late July and start of August for the early calving cows.

Air and soil temperatures were all around 1C above average levels although sunshine hours were quite low in June and early July.

Pasture growth on the farm has reflected these conditions being 40 per cent above average levels for May, June and July and good growth is expected in August with the current conditions.

The high pasture growth has allowed the low input herd to winter successfully with a low level of supplements and now has silage available for milkers if needed which was not in the original plan.

The high input herd has been able to winter with less supplements brought in than expected.

Pasture covers at the start of calving were around 2400kg DM/ha with a reasonable spread in cover and 45 per cent of the farm in medium to long grass.

With the winter conditions long pastures have kept growing and reached quite high levels.

The dry cows and calvers are grazing these out well but the early milkers may not graze their first paddocks out as hard as desired for good pasture quality.

Both herds were on around 140-day rounds through the winter which equalled 24 m2/cow/day for the low stocked herd but a tight 15 m2/cow/day for the high stocked herd. The high stocked herd, however, spent every night on the covered feed pad and stand-off area with PKE and maize silage supplement.

Over the winter the low stocked herd averaged 5.8kg DM grass and 2.2kg of silage feeding and at pre-calving weighed 424kg and were at 5.1 condition score average. This was a gain of 0.5 in condition from drying off.

The high stocked high input herd were fed 3.2kg DM grass and 6kg of supplement with a pre-calving weight of 446kg and 5.4 condition score which is a very good level but there maybe will not that great a return for the extra feeding.

For August the cows are being held to the spring rotation planner for a six-week first round.

Nitrogen fertiliser is being applied on winter regrowth pastures with 50kg N/ha applied overall planned by September 10.

The low stocked herd should be able to manage on all grass for August but may need some silage in September while the high stocked herd will be fed with PKE and maize silage as needed in the covered feed pad.