WEATHER-RELATED CONSEQUENCES

• Ground conditions will adversely affect graze out.
• Higher grass covers will be slower and harder to graze out.
• Grass availability in April is very likely to be below target, delaying the start of the second rotation by 10 to 20 days. This will cause reduced grass yield for the year.
• Because cows/nearly all first calvers will have been fed silage for a long time, they will have lost more body condition than if grass had been in the diet. This will have a serious effect on conception rates.
  • Cows that lose more than 0.5 in their body condition score (BCS) from calving to mating could have:
    • Up to 49% lower submission rates.
    • Up to 20% lower pregnancy rates after six weeks.
  • Peak milk yield in May will be reduced by 0.5-1L/day resulting in a reduced yield per cow of 120-230L in the year.
• Health-related issues, such as mastitis and lameness will increase.

GRAZE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ASAP

• It is essential to catch up on the areas not grazed in February.
  • The target is to have at least 30% of the milking platform (MP) grazed by the March 1 and 60% grazed by March 17.
  • The consequences of not meeting those targets will be:
    • The amount of grass available in the second rotation will be a serious issue because the length of time from first grazing to second grazing will be too short. It must be 55-60 days, which is why those two grazing date targets are so critical.
    • For every 1% a farm is below the 30% target on March 1, the farm will have 14kg DM/ha less grass in April.
    • Grazing old grass stimulates growth; therefore, you grow more grass.
    • This year, the first rotation is very likely to end much later than usual, thereby reducing the number of grazings in the year. Each extra grazing lost – the target being 10 in total – will result in an extra 1.3t grass DM/ha being lost.
• From now, farmers must be very proactive in doing their best to catch up so as to compensate for delayed target cover dates. The following advice may help:
  • Every chance you get, you must graze larger areas of ground every day than previously planned.
    • Ground conditions may seem poor, but it is only by walking the fields yourself that you will really know.
  • The early grazed (February) paddocks need 60 days to recover (this year they will only have fewer than 50 days).
  • The March paddocks will have 30-35 days before the next grazing, and they need that and possibly more.
• Readjust your management of the milking platform if you have zero area grazed by the March 1 target:
  • Plan to have 33% grazed by March 17, 66% grazed by April 1, and 100% grazed by April 15-20. Then, the second rotation will start.
• If you have 15-20% of the area grazed by March 1, plan to achieve 50% by March 17 and the remainder to the April 10.
• If you have not achieved the March percentages grazed, decide on how to rectify things? Some or all of the following options must be considered:
  • Graze off light covers in early March so that you can graze some of the paddocks faster, because it takes longer to graze high covers.
  • Let cows out full-time, only feed 1-2kg meal per day and, definitely, no silage for a few weeks in early March so as to graze more area.
  • Keep the meal for feeding in late March and April because there is a strong possibility that, with most cows calved, grass will be tight in April.
• The spring rotation planner must be updated to the new circumstances on your farm, and it will guide you through until mid-April.
  • It is available on PastureBase or through your adviser.
• As you only allocate a certain proportion (specific area) of the farm each day regardless of the amount of grass on it, you must read the signs to make the correct decisions:
  • If there is a lot of grass on that area and cows are not grazing it out well, let cows out full-time and reduce the meals. Don’t be afraid to only feed 1kg/day.
  • If they are ‘skinning’ the area and look empty or discontented, you must increase the grazing area or increase the meals or feed some high-quality silage as a last resort for a few days.
• Cows must be brought in from the field after three hours of grazing.
• Cows, when eating more than 8kg DM/head/day, should be out twice per day.
  • Plan the day as follows: At 6.30am, milk and feed 1-2kg meal; let them out for 2.5 hours; bring them in at 12 mid-day, and leave them in the cubicle shed with no feed; milk again at 2.30pm with 1-2kg meal; leave out on grass from 3.30pm to 6pm; bring into cubicle shed for the remainder of night with a small amount of silage available, which must be eaten by midnight.
  • With this routine, all cows must be let out at same time (don’t let out directly from milking) otherwise some cows, particularly heifers, high yielders and shy feeders will not be able to eat enough.
• Uncommitted grass grazing farmers will think grass can’t be grazed until April but this is not true. The rewards are too great to think like that.
  • Fields with good grass covers dry out fast with a few fine days.
  • Pick the driest field and start now.
  • Alternatively, graze the front of paddocks, off the roadway.
  • Using the spring planner, there is a weekly target area to be grazed, this can be achieved by grazing for 2.5 hours every day, if weather is fine, or it can be grazed by leaving cows out full-time for three to four fine days per week and not letting them out at all when wet.
  • The financial benefit for this piece of ‘hardship’ is €2.80/cow/day for every day out grazing.
• Here are a few important grazing-related considerations:
  • You can’t afford serious poaching (you must do everything to avoid) because it results in soil compaction, which results in poor grass yields for the remainder of the year.
  • Feed no silage where you have high grass covers.
    • Feed grass and meals only – adequate grass on its own will sustain 25-27L/cow/day.
    • This puts a ‘sharpness’ to their appetites when they go to grass in the morning at 11am.
  • Graze from the back of paddocks either using cow walks or walking over the good grass – this is vitally important.
    • Let cows into paddocks through several entrances.
  • Regrowth and grazed ground must be protected at all costs from animals walking back over grazed ground.
  • Under no circumstances should you leave animals on paddocks when it is raining – they do nothing more than walking.
• No question about it, silage ground on MP should be grazed twice on most farms before closing for silage, except very wet or late grass growing farms.
  • The silage yield will only be slightly reduced but this can be made up by delaying cutting by two to three days.
  • But more grass will have grown on a grazed silage field by early June than on a non-grazed silage field.
  • First cut silage quality will be 2-3 DMD units higher and will be easier to preserve.
  • As silage ground away from MP will give greatest season yield (two cuts), that ground must be closed off on March 20-25.
    • Due to good winter growth some of these fields have good covers but a lot of dead material – they should be grazed off by R2s in early March to stimulate growth and improve silage quality.
• All this advice is to get you to the second rotation as early as is possible in April with 1,200kg cover on April 1. You must now be measuring every week and acting.
  The first three to four paddocks for the second rotation must have at least 800kg DM/ha.
  • Growth rate in early April should be 10-20kg DM/day – let’s plan on 15kg.
    • If you only have 700kg DM/ha on these paddocks, 100 below target, then, you will need to delay the second rotation by six days (100/15).
  • If below the 800kg DM, slow down the cows, give them less area per day, to get an extra six days on the remaining first rotation paddocks.

NITROGEN: DOUBLE UP IN MARCH ‘26!

• Most farms have little or no N applied yet and table 1 outlines Teagasc’s recommendations for February and March:
  • It is now advised to apply all the N requirements for February and March in one go on all the MP, early in March when ground conditions are good, with no heavy rain forecast.
  • With a lot of slurry available, and every 1000 gallons containing 8 units of N, discount this from table 1 recommendations.

Table 1: Nitrogen strategy based on April clover content in paddocks.

Source: Teagasc.

• Establish your stocking rate (organic N) and stay within recommended N limits.
• Protected urea must be the product of choice all year. Research work in Teagasc, Johnstown Castle has shown:
  • Fields with no N grow 60% less grass.
  • Protected urea grew 13% more grass than urea.
  • CAN grew 9% more grass than urea.
• Once-per-month spreading must be practiced because it is the only way you can apply and accommodate the lower N application rates.
  • This saves labour and reduces confusion over which paddocks got N the last day you spread.
• We must maximise the nutrients in slurry.
  • Slurry must go on soils that are low in P and K.
    • Don’t spread on MP – it generally doesn’t need it and we will never improve water quality if we keep doing that! It is more suitable for silage ground.
    • Contractors are now equipped to carry 20-30,000 gallons of slurry and spread on out-farms with the umbilical system at small extra cost.
  • Spread 2,000-2,500 gallons/acre post-grazing in March and empty tanks in late March/April onto silage ground.
    • Low stocked farms do not require bagged N on grazing area when 3,000 gallons slurry per acre is applied in March.
    • Silage fields should get 2,500 gallons of slurry and 70 units of protected urea per acre.
  • Allow one week between slurry and N applications.
  • Apply extra P and K as required, based on soil tests.
• If P and K are low, apply two to three bags of 18:6:12 per acre now on all the grazing area.
  • Grazing fields very low in fertility should get 3-3.5 bags of 10:10:20 in March/April.
• Apply S in late March, in either protected urea or a compound. Spreading 20 units/acre of S from March to September will increase grass yield by up to 2.5t DM/ha.

SEXED SEMEN IS DELIVERING RESULTS

• Some farmers are frustrated with the variable results from sexed semen; however, many farmers have done well with it. Before you throw out the baby with the bathwater, ask yourself if you have done everything correctly?
• Sexed semen is now used by nearly 40% of all dairy farmers – it is the future.
• Stephen Butler from Teagasc, Moorepark says sexed semen is a key technology for the Irish dairy industry, and all should use it. But, he added:
  • It is a fragile product, requiring very careful handling.
  • We will have fewer dairy male calves.
  • Better economic breeding index (EBI) replacement heifers.
  • Better dairy-beef index (DBI) non-replacement calves.
  • Improved sustainability metrics – will enhance our environmental footprint.
  • Order sexed semen straws early, so that you have the best bull choice.
  • Focus on choosing high EBI cows in the one to four lactation bracket, particularly first calvers.
  • They must not have had difficult calvings, or had any health issues (ketosis, milk fever, tetany mastitis, lameness, etc.).
• Some black and white (B&W) farmers are considering using NO sexed semen this year, because male B&W calves are easily sold. But this thinking overlooks some advantages:
  • Faster herd dairy genetic gain.
  • All heifers will be born at the start of the calving season and, hence, will easily achieve weight targets required for one year and 11-month calving.
  • Proportionally, more CBV beef calves will generate higher calf prices overall – Profit Monitor results from 2025 is backing this up.
• How many sexed semen straws to use?
  • To get 40 heifer calves, for a 200-cow herd, you require 70 sexed straws.
    • ICBF recommends seven AI bulls. Why?
    • Big genetic risk, because of EBI reliability.
    • Fertility risk associated with the sorting process.
• Fixed time AI is justified on targeted cows:
  • Best fertility cows for sexed semen.
  • Late calvers, anoestrous cows to accelerate breeding.
  • And, of course, heifers.
• The ‘why wait’ programme is justified as a fertility management tool:
  • To advance submission rates of late calving cows.
  • Helps to achieve earlier pregnancy and more compact calving – facilitates achieving the 90% six-week calving target.
  • If you are going to use it and your mating start date (MSD) is April 25, then you must start recording pre-service heats from April 3 – start making plans now!
• Targets (€) that we should aim for in B&W and JerseyX calves?
  • EBI = €250.
  • Fertility = €100+ (€70+ for JerseyX crosses).
  • Milk = €60+.
  • Carbon = €30+.
  • Health = €15+.
  • Maintenance €23 to €35 range.
  • Fat (F) % = 0.30; protein (P) % = 0.20; and F and P = 13+ kg.
  • Choose AI bulls that get you as near to these figures in the heifer calves next year.
    • It will be greatly helped by choosing the best cow genetic also.
    • Spend a couple of hours identifying the cows and AI bulls that will make this possible.
    • This information is meant to alert you to start to plan your breeding season now for 2026.

BEEF CALVES MUST HAVE A GOOD CBV

• CBV is used to put genetic ranking on calves.
• What type of calf does the beef calf buyer want?
  • A healthy calf.
  • A well-fed, strong calf.
  • Good beef genetics, as defined by CBV.
• The first two are a ‘gimme’; and the last one is achieved by using high DBI AI bulls from the active bull list.
  • There has been a great ‘buy-in’ by dairy farmers to using high DBI bulls and over the last two years the prices achieved has justified their usage.
  • Farmers must use a beef bull that is:
    • At least 3* (3 star) on the DBI.
    • At least 3* on the Beef sub-index of DBI.
    • These stars are within breed type.
• The following protocol is suggested:
  • Use the DBI to identify suitable beef AI bulls.
  • Easy calving bulls with short gestation and high beef merit are available.
  • Trading is now influenced by CBV on mart boards.
  • A catalogue can be generated for the calves being sold.
  • Steps to achieving the best beef bulls for your herd and maximise CBV of calves:
  • Choose from the DBI active bull list.
  • Choose an acceptable calving difficulty range for the right cow, other than first calvers.
  • Maximise the beef sub-index of the DBI.

MARCH: SCHEME DEADLINE DATES

The March monthly reminder of the major compliant dates.

• March 1: Prohibited period for hedge cutting, grubbing, or burning of vegetation begins.
• March 1: Grassland farmers availing of a nitrate derogation can only plough grassland leys until May 31.
• March 1: Prohibited period commences for cutting vegetation in riparian zones in ACRES.
• March 6: Closing date for tranche 11 of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme.
• March 15: Prohibited period begins for mowing events in ACRES extensively grazed pasture action
• March 31: Deadline by which ACRES tranche 1 participants may attend a voluntary ACRES training course under ACRES training scheme.
• March 31: Deadline(extended) for claims to be submitted by ACRES co-operation participants, or their ACRES Adviser, in respect of the implementation of non-productive investment approved under their 2023 annual work plan (AWP) and/or their 2024 AWP.
• March 31: All derogation applicants must have a detailed nutrient management plan or fertiliser plan that includes recent soil analysis (dated after 15 September 2021). Fertiliser accounts must be submitted for the previous year.

Bits and Pieces

• Dairy farmers have four weeks of hardship (weather hasn’t helped!) behind them now. But prevent tiredness, irritability/impatience, farm accidents by getting adequate sleep, and rest plus an occasional social outing.
  • Farmers must take charge of this and not just pay ‘lip-service’ to it.
  • Prevent tetany, because magnesium deficiency results in cow deaths, sub-clinical situations results in milk yield being reduced by over 20% for the whole herd:
  • Feed the equivalent of 2oz/cow/day in meal (very convenient system) where meal is being fed. Co-ops should provide this level in 1.5-2kg meal.
  • Feed it through the water either, automatic system or five-gallon drum with a special dispenser.
  • Dust the pastures with magnesium at the rate of 5-6 oz/cow/day. This works well and can be done while you are assessing farm cover in the paddock.
• As calves at grass will thrive better than those indoors and will have a lot less health problems while being easier to manage, let them out:
  • Why farmers don’t adopt this practice I’ll never understand.
  • Try to have fresh grass for them every three to five days by rotating them round small blocks of grass (600-700 cover).
  • Feed hay or straw while at grass, as they need fibre (essential).
  • If the weather is wet and cold, farmer’s favour letting calves run back into a house, but this can be dangerous unless it is well ventilated like a hay barn.
  • All they need outdoors is a dry lie and ground shelter because they spend a lot of time lying down.
  • There are several, cheap outdoor type shelter systems available.
  • Because calves are remaining longer on farms this year and health risks are greater this practice should be adopted.
• Body condition score (BCS) cows now to avoid excessive BCS lost.
  • This is likely to happen this year due to prolonged silage feeding.
  • Rapid loss of weight takes place in early lactation.
  • BCS’ing should be done in the middle of each month from now to mid-June to ensure optimum conception rates.
• Lameness: It must be addressed now because it will adversely affect:
  • Milk yield and peak determine the annual yield.
  • Body condition – cows will lose weight.
  • Submission rates and conception rates!
  • The cow’s longevity in the herd.
  • Get the Farm Relief Service to examine your herd.
• Bulling heifers (R2s):
  • Weigh them; they must NOW be 53% of your mature cows’ weight.
    • Feed, 1-2kg meal, any of them that are below target and let them out to grass soon – the pay-off will be great next year.
  • Minerals are important at every stage of a replacement’s life.
    • Potassium, copper, selenium and iodine are most critical during that the breeding season period.
    • Take a grass sample, every day, from the first weeks grazing of the 2nd rotation – definitely, not from first rotation grass.
• Mastitis/high somatic cell count (SCC):
  • Chronic cows should be culled – they will infect the whole herd.
  • Make sure your milking machine and milking routine are up to scratch.
  • Record on ICBF all cases of clinical mastitis.
  • Mastitis adversely affects fertility.
  • Get your Vet involved, early, to sort things out.
• Milk recording is an essential management tool – no excuses, do it:
  • You will know your high SCC cows.
  • You will be able to identify your best cows for breeding to dairy, others for beef AI, and others for culling (should be done now).
  • Very valuable in the event of TB.

Quote of the month (or of your life)

“That which you EAT has repercussions for your HEART!” (one of the most important quotations I have ever written).