On a mission to convert Border dairy farmers to the benefits of an extended grazing season

Donal Patton talks about a new trial at Ballyhaise Agricultural College aiming to convince dairy farmers in the border region that the benefits of an extended grazing season outweigh the risks

Could a dairy farming philosophy developed on the grasslands of east Cork be as successful in the drumlins of Cavan? That question has been at the heart of grazing research trials in Ballyhaise Agricultural College since 2007.

And despite having notable success over the years in using the extended grazing model developed at Teagasc Moorepark in Co Cork on the Ballyhaise College dairy platform, it hasn’t been a straightforward process replicating a farm system from one part of the country to another.

Donal Patton, who has been one of the driving forces behind the research, admits it has been an uphill task convincing farmers in Border region of its benefits.

“A lot of the farmers in this neck of the woods wouldn’t see it as that relevant to them,” he says.

“It’s a different climate, different soil type, longer winters and slower growth in spring and autumn. A lot of guys would look at what is going on in Cork and see it as a different world.”

Faced with this challenge, since 2017, Ballyhaise has been investigating whether the extended grazing season concept really stood up when compared to the typical dairy system in the Border, Midlands and West (BMW) region.

“This really was the trial we should have done first,” says Donal, explaining that the new research will directly compare what the average dairy farmer is doing in the region compared to the Moorepark extended grazing system.

In January 2017, 120 spring-calving dairy cows were randomly assigned to one of two grazing season lengths: ■ 205 days (March 15 to October 20)

the average for the region

■ 270 days (February 15 to November 20) the extended grazing season model.

The trial is now in its final year, and Donal says the results are set to be conclusive. The main effect of extended grazing has been a reduction in feed costs with less concentrate and silage required.

The trial aimed to feed all groups a similar level of energy and protein intake each day. This meant that during early spring and late autumn, extra concentrate had to be fed to the groups in the shed to match what the other groups were getting in the paddock.

Costs

In addition to the extra concentrate fed, more silage had to be conserved to feed the cows for an extra 60 days indoors a significant extra cost.

“We said we didn’t want to make a mess of the indoor system and wanted to feed the cows well as we can,” says Donal. “The grazing cows were getting 3-4kg of meal at grass over the period in the spring, while the cows indoors had to get a higher level of feeding in the parlour (7kg) and the protein level had to be higher.

“Over the year the difference could be 300-350kg of meal more to cows kept indoors till March.”

And because the ‘average’ herd in the region doesn’t go out until late March, there is a significant build-up of grass.

“We usually got 60pc of the area grazed, and then we just have to pull

Big question:

Donal Patton has been leading research on how well the Teagasc Moorepark extended grazing season model for dairy herds performs on different land types