Make a list — check it twice

AS the season draws to a close it’s time to assess 2017 and write the checklist of jobs to do this winter with regards to setting up the season for next year.

Somehow even when you feel planned and prepared you can still find yourself not having essential items to hand such as a calving jack, ropes or the like when the first cow calves.

On top of that, this year it seems as if every farmer is doing some form of development as getting hold of supplies and building contractors has been difficult for months — and it’s getting worse.

I must give praise to vets at this stage as considering the training done to enter and maintain the profession you can still get a vet on farm within two hours whereas trying to get a tradesman can take weeks or months.

So in order to maximise performance and productivity we need to devote some time and thought to preparation. The more you prepare the more likely the season will go well. Essentially it comes back to the old saying, “fail to plan, plan to fail”. So whilst this is not a comprehensive list, here’s some key areas to consider this winter; improvements need to be made and to set targets which are appropriate for the farm in question.

To aid in this process, consider a financial review eg profit monitor, to highlight areas where costs are excessive and to determine how to make changes by thinking of the cause and effect. It can also be done in terms of a productivity review, and using the coop report is a good place to start. Stocking rates, both overall and on the milking platform need to balance with the farms ability to grow grass, whilst optimising the MS per cow produced. Aim for greater than 75pc of the cows mature body weight in MS. For example a 550kg cow needs to produce >412kgMS, where a farmer may target 400kgMS sold. Many factors such as herd age profile eg < 3 lactations per cow, genetics, herd health and nutrition can be limiting if not being achieved. Focusing on these areas may aid annual improvements.

Assessment of infrastructure and changes required

Farming is a capital intensive business and unfortunately requires re-investment to maintain or improve productivity. The hardest challenge is to assess where you will get the biggest bang for your buck, and grazing infrastructure is a top item to consider. For example, in 2017 the continuous wet weather since the summer has exacerbated lameness on many farms so where significant and impacting performance repairing cow tracks may be a good focus this year etc.

Winter feed management

Wet weather has seen cows housed earlier than on previous years, and grass surpluses and silage yields were also disappointing in places. The supply of winter silage is dwindling faster than in previous seasons and when combined with an increase in stock numbers evident on many farms, feed availability and potential feed shortages, need consideration before facing the back wall of the silage pit. There are many feed calculators available so have a go.

Feed quality is also an important factor to consider, to whether it will provide the necessary condition score gain this year and what supports will be needed alongside it (feed or mineral). A silage analysis including a mineral analysis can aid in the process and especially worthwhile if issues such as milk fever were significant this year.

Herd health

Dosing for liver and rumen f luke, worms and lice is a serious consideration at this time of year. Aim to devise a regime with licenced products that hit the appropriate life-cycle stages. Vaccinations also need to appear on this list.

Shopping list

Finally a shopping list is an essential item prior to calving on all farms. Eartags should be at the top as forgetting these can cause a serious calving headache especially when they can take a long time to come. Having what’s needed to hand for such unexpected incidents as milk fever, mastitis and infections reduces the stress and pressure on the farmer at calving.