TRUMP HAS INCREASED THE 2026 CHALLENGE!

• A very difficult grazed-grass, weather-affected spring has been made very, very challenging by Mr Trump.
  • Still, we must overcome this challenge in the coming weeks.
• Input costs will have increased dramatically because of the war effect on oil availability.
• Fertiliser has gotten very expensive and is likely to be scarce. Can we take steps to mitigate its effects? We must try.
• All tractor work – whether it is your own tractor, or a contractor’s – will be much more expensive.
• Electricity-driven work will increase in cost.
• Undoubtedly, other inputs will be more expensive, particularly if the war continues over a long period.
• Farm incomes will be under more pressure.

DEALING WITH THE GRASSLAND CHALLENGES

• Challenge 1: Not completing the first rotation until April 15-22.
  • As farmers are advised to start the second rotation when the first three to four paddocks have a cover of 1,200kg-1,400kg, a few checks should be made before acting:
    • Measure farm grass cover twice per week to be aware of farm cover changes.
    • On many farms, this cover will be there before the first rotation has been completed.
    • Where growth is unpredictable and the second rotation might be short – needs to be more than 25 days – it would be best to overlap grazing some of the older covers with the second round available paddocks.
    • In many situations farmers will have to cut some of the ungrazed paddocks for silage, and possibly bale, between April 16-25.
• Challenge 2: If, on April 1, grass covers on the first two to three paddocks for the second rotation is only 700kg-750kg DM, the following must be considered:
  • Undoubtedly, the start of the second rotation must be postponed until cover of 1,200-1,300kg DM are on the first three to four paddocks.
  • However, growth rates will determine the date.
    • While no two years are the same, one can predict this expected growth, based on the average for the last two years for your farm on PastureBase.
    • For example, if on April 1, your best paddock for the second rotation has a cover of 1,000kg, and the average growth rate on your farm for early April was 30kg DM/day, then you will have to delay the start of the second rotation by 10 days.
    • No matter how tight grass is, cows must be allowed out for at least three hours per day with the remainder of the diet made up of 4kg-5kg meal and good quality silage (the silage as a last resort at this time of year).
• Challenge 3: What to do with badly poached paddocks?
  • It is best sorted by the cows’ feet grazing these paddocks’ on the second rotation on very dry days, even if you have to graze at lower covers to match the weather.
  • If severely damage, reseeding should be considered.
  • But, under no circumstances is rolling part of the solution.
• Challenge 4: A lot of paddocks were poorly grazed out during wet days.
  • Poorly grazed out paddocks must, on the second rotation, be grazed at covers of 1,000kg-1,200kg, otherwise, they will be poor for the year due to lack of tillering. Remember, we are only three to four weeks from stem elongation and grass going to seed.
• Challenge 5: Many farms have received very low levels of fertiliser N, P and K to date:
  • By mid-April, all areas of the farm should have received 60-65 units N/acre – get it on across the whole farm. Protected urea is the recommended product.
  • The advice for P is to apply 50 per cent of the requirement in March and early April and the remainder from May to June. And the advice for K is to apply maintenance (index 3) dressings at this time but apply ‘build-up’ K in mid-summer. Therefore, two to three bags of 10:10:20, or 18:6:12 +S or 13:6:20 +S per acre, and are better value than 24:2.5:10 and 27:2.5:5 type fertilisers.
  • S must be applied from March. Table 1 highlights the huge benefits of applying sulphur:
    • In an era of restricted N use we must use S from March.
    • Apply 20kg/ha (18-20 units/acre)
    • For each silage cut apply 15kg/h-20kg/h

Table 1: Benefits of sulphur in grass production Source: Teagasc.

• Challenge 6: Making the best use of the extra slurry available.
  • Knowing that ‘good slurry’ contains nine units of N, five units P and 32 units of K per 1,000 gallons, we must apply it on the fields most in need of P and K.

LIME MUST be SPREAD NOW

• All the talk is about the cost and availability of N, P and K but there is very little talk of lime. In this era, it is THE most important of all fertilisers.
• The optimum pH is 6.3-6.5.
• Low pH levels will:
  • Impede the release of soil mineral N from organic matter.
  • Lime will release up to 70kg N/ha/year (56 units/acre).
  • It increases the availability of P and improves the efficiency of both applied bag P and slurry P.
• For every €1 spent on lime, the return is €7 = 700% return!
• Table 2 highlights the care required when using lime on the farm.

Table 2: Timing lag advice for lime, urea, CAN, slurry and fertiliser compounds.

REDUCE MEAL COSTS IN APRIL

• I will always promote reducing meal-feeding to economically justifiable levels.
• Using a Teagasc Excel Programme, I consulted a farmer whose herd is in the top 5% in Ireland to see if it would pay him to feed 1,009kg (last year’s figure) instead of 609kg of meal to each cow this year. The scenario was:
  • Milk price is 48c/L (10c/L lower than 2025).
    • Meal cost is €308/t.
    • Milk yield is 5,440L/cow.
• Spending €123/cow extra on meal [1,009kg instead of 609kg] results in an extra 228L/cow of milk. This is worth €109/cow.
  • This represents a loss of €14/cow/year. He had €11/cow from this exercise last year because milk made 58c/L.
• Feed minimum levels of meals in April; if grass is plentiful, it will produce 27L/day.
  • For every 4.5L a herd is yielding above that, feed 2kg of meal.
• A few facts about meal:
  • Every €1 spent on meal equals an actual cost to the farmer of €1.60.
  • Every 1kg extra meal fed reduces grazing time by 15 minutes.
  • The return on money invested in meal feeding is only 3%.
• You must get yourself feeding the meal level by mid-April that you intend feeding cows in May:
  • This enables you to achieve better cow conception rates/less embryo loss because they will not be exposed to diet energy change during breeding.
• There are many ways to feed magnesium (Mg), which is a must, but one kilogramme of meal with adequate Mg would be easiest.
• New regulation: the kilogrammes of N/cow produced calculation can be reduced from 92 to 87 if farmers use meal with less than 13% P (this is for farmers in the middle band milk yield:
  • The regulation now is to feed less than 14% protein rations from April 15 onwards. The following can give you some ideas:
    • Barley (10%-12%), maize grain (8%), oats (13%), citrus pulp (6%-9%), sugar beet pulp (8%-10%), molasses (4%-6%), soya hulls (9%).
    • Consult your nutritionist or feed merchant before feeding them on their own.
  • If you are having to feed 3kg-4kg meal in April, you will end up feeding approximately 1t/cow/year again in 2026 – can you afford it?
• Dairy farmers rely on meal feeding for a number of reasons, from my experience.
  • They choose to ignore independent research results.
  • They evade responsibility on two fronts:
    • They allow the milker feed whatever quantity they want.
    • They never check the accuracy of the feeders.
  • But with margins so tight, farmers can do better!

PLAN TO CLOSE UP FOR SILAGE

There are a few considerations:

1. Provide as much grazing ground as possible for cows to minimise meal feeding in April and May; this focus is on the milking platform by grazing potential silage ground twice before closing.
2. Make as much ‘first cut’ as possible because it is far cheaper than second and third cuts or baled silage.
3. Make quality silage – over 75% DMD for milking cows.
4. Making enough silage – 68-70% DMD for dry cows.

• Consideration 1: This option must be very seriously considered this year because it will save on:
  • Meal feeding during April.
  • Feeding pit silage or maize silage during April.
  • The way to maximise first cut on milking platform is to graze cows, cattle and calves at high stocking rates on the grazing area during April-May. This also leads to better grazing practices.
  • Grazing the silage ground twice will result in closing from April 15 and finish April 25, and so it will average around April 22 closing.
  • Fields/paddocks earmarked for silage, regardless of how much grass is on them, must be grazed from April 1-15 or later on some farms.
  • With good growth rates, the cutting date will be somewhere near June 10-14; early enough for a good cut of quality silage.
  • By grazing potential silage ground twice before closing, one should strive for a split cutting date to facilitate the early availability of aftergrass.
  • Quality will be very good because of the short growing period and no ‘rotten butt’.
  • Some farmers, for the second time, will start grazing the silage ground on the April 5 and will finish on April 15; this will facilitate cutting in late May/early June.
• Consideration 2: Plan for as much first cut as possible.
  • First cut is 15%-25% cheaper than second cut; therefore, close up as much ground as possible in early April.
  • To make that decision you must also decide on the stocking rate for cattle – 1,800kg-2-200kg weight per hectare and calves at 22calves/ha.
• Consideration 3: Make quality silage; over 75% DMD for milking cows.
  • Close on April 1 at the latest for cutting on May 20-25 to deliver quality silage.
  • You need 2t-3t per cow of this silage; therefore, approximately 33 acres per 100 cows.
• Consideration 4: Make enough silage for your winter period.
  • Cows need 1.6t, R2s need 1.3t, and weanlings need 0.8t each per month.
• Fertilisers for first cut.
  • 3,000 gallons of slurry (= 25-30 units of N) per acre onto bare ground, otherwise, that slurry will contaminate the silage.
  • With the slurry you only need 30-50 units per acre of protected urea and S.

SOW CLOVER IN APRIL

Complaining about the price of N will get you nowhere, but sowing clover will help to alleviate some of the cost.

There are two ways to sow clover in April and May:

Over-sow it.

In a full reseed – plough, till and sow.

Table 3 lists out the protocols.

Table 3: Protocols for incorporating clover. Source: Teagasc.

PPI = Pasture Profit Index; PRG = perennial ryegrass; PGC = pre-grazing cover.

• White clover reseeding/stitching-in on milking platform is an absolute to do

Task this year. Why?

• Red clover should be seriously considered for sowing on outside silage blocks:
  • Teagasc research over six years has shown that, with no nitrogen, it grew slightly more silage than swards getting 480 units of bag N/acre.
  • Silage will be high quality, lowish in % protein, but is hard to preserve (needs 48-hour wilting).
  • Because of its growth habit it should not be grazed – this reduces its life span.
  • It has a life span of four to five years with the need for a four-year break before next reseeding of a 10-year reseeding cycle.
  • A suggested, mix is: 9kg perennial ryegrass + 4kg red clover + 1kg white clover; buy from a reputable source.
  • Potash (300 units/year) and phosphorous (40 units/year) are essential, and soil pH must be 6.5+.
  • It is best to sow red clover in April by ploughing or preferably min-till.

USE SEXED SEMEN – OBEY ALL THE RULES

• Some farmers have had very variable results from sexed semen. However, most farmers have got on ok. Therefore, because of the following benefits, we must continue the practice. The benefits include:
  • Fewer male dairy calves.
  • Better EBI replacement heifers,
  • Better DBI non-replacement calves,
  • Improved sustainability metrics.
• Order straws early and remember these straws are a fragile product and require very careful handling.
• Choose your sexed semen cows carefully:
  • Heifers must:
    • Be on target weight – confirm by weighing.
    • Be in BCS over 3.25.
    • Be cycling regularly (preferably on third).
    • Be at grass for more than six weeks.
  • Cows must:
    • Be in lactation one to four.
    • Be greater than 50 days calved,
    • Be in BCS of 3 or greater.
    • Not have lost more than 0.5 BCS from calving to mating.
    • Be cycling regularly.
    • Have had no postpartum disorders or uterine infections since calving.
• You need to use two straws for every replacement calf required.
• Choose your sexed semen bulls carefully – their EBI is as good as conventional semen. You will need seven AI bulls per 100 cows and one extra for every 50 cows thereafter.
• Fixed time AI (FTAI) is now very common when using sexed semen on heifers:
  • Dr Stephen Butler at Teagasc Moorepark found that an eight-day, eight-hour, fixed-time AI (FTAI) protocol was found to deliver a 9% higher conception rate compared to a conventional 10-day protocol when using sexed semen.
  • You must have your vet on side from the beginning – so give him plenty of notice.
  • Your AI technician must be ready and aware of the importance of the task.
  • If you are going to FTAI cows it is a 10-day protocol.

SIRE ADVICE MAKES CHOOSING BULLS EASY

• Use Sire Advice to ‘match-up’ your dairy cows with the most appropriate dairy and beef AI bull:
  • You will avoid inbreeding,
  • Maximise genetic gain from both the dairy and beef matings.
  • By using the DBI your beef calves will be more valuable.
  • You can assign each cow to either sexed semen, conventional semen, beef semen or for culling to avoid the cost of an AI service.
• Use ICBF sire advice to choose your AI bulls from the active bull list.
  • It is a very simple-to-use programme that enables you to mate the best cows with the best AI bulls,
  • It has been updated by ICBF – more farmers should use it.
• I recommended the following when choosing (average) a team of black and white (B&W) AI bulls:
  • EBI €290; fertility €110; calving €45; maintenance €35; health €20; MS 25kg,
    percentage fat 0.33; and percentage protein 0.25.
  • Get as near to those targets as you can.
• This is the most valuable way to spend two hours this April.
• With collars, no stock bull should be necessary on a dairy farm. This creates:
  • Safer farms.
  • Lower risk of spreading disease.
  • More valuable calves for sale.

APRIL DATE TO NOTE:

• Important compliancy date for April:
  • April 15: The maximum crude protein content allowed in concentrates fed to bovines aged two years and upwards, including dairy cows, at grass is 14% from this date.

Brief notes:

• Lame cows must be cared for before the breeding season.
• The ‘why wait’ programme has merit on farms where a ‘scattered’ calving pattern exists.
• All calves must be out on grass to avoid house viruses and gain more weight.
• Farmers with a low EBI herd should consider a ‘contract mating agreement’ with a very good farmer so that he can buy heifer calves of the highest quality next year. Quality replacements rarely come on the market and will be more unlikely in the future given the value of dairy-beef calves.
• If you have under-weight R2s, it could pay you to feed them some meal with grass so that they can be mated from May 15-20. They will be valuable next year!
• It still is worth doing a Metricheck on all cows.
• No cows or R2s should be injected in April.
• If, after doing all other checks, you consider minerals to be an issue in fertility management, take a grass sample from the first three to four paddocks to be grazed on the second rotation. Blood sampling has merit but very dependent on level of meal being fed.
• There should be no need to advise any sensible farmer that paying €400 to €600 per acre for rented ground is madness – doing this will only lead to one end result – you will be broke!

Message for the month

“We are what we do. Excellence is not an act; it is a habit. It is not a once-off. You have got to be excellent every minute of every day.”

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