Grassland needs careful managing as soil drys

HOPEFULLY the end is in sight for the long wet winter and stock will soon be able to remain on grazing full time.

In the short term grassland may need to be managed in order not to cause damage while soils dry out.

Grass is the cheapest feedstuff and the most fundamental way of lowering costs of production on farms is to target good grass utilisation.

At present ground and weather conditions are proving difficult and are reducing opportunities for grazing.

Spring grazing improves the overall grass growth capacity of a farm but where pastures are badly damaged due to poaching in wet conditions regrowth rates will be reduced.

The level of reduction will vary depending on the level of damage incurred but can be between 30-50% reduction for the second grazing rotation on the farm.

However good management strategies coupled with good grazing infrastructure can safely increase the number of grazings achieved in spring and prevent poaching damage to pastures. The technique known as ‘on/off grazing’ has an important role to play on all dairy farms and can be used on drystock farms to achieve the same effect where buildings are available near the grazing area.

This is an approach whereby cows/cattle graze for a limited period (2-4 hours) twice a day – in the case of dairy cows the grazing periods are following milking.

The aim of on/off grazing is to strike the balance between feeding animals adequately while at grass and minimising the levels of pasture damage. This strategy should be implemented during periods of wet weather/poor ground conditions to increase the number of days at grass.

Turning out cattle with an enthusiastic appetite (i.e. hungry) for grass is also critically important to the success of this strategy as the cattle need to concentrate on grazing and nothing else. In any case cattle tend to do most damage to swards when they are not grazing intensively simply by wandering around. Cattle tend to become restless and move around more during poor overhead conditions which increases damage on pastures even further.

Cattle generally adapt to the on/off grazing sys- tem after about 2 days.

This method will not be feasible on all farms but there are other strategies that can be used. Farmers should select the most appropriate paddocks to graze and back fence the animals to prevent damage.

Where possible avoid vulnerable fields and fields with poor access. Lower covers are easier to graze in the wet and as they are green to the base are also faster to recover.

The best fields to graze are those that are square in shape. Stock will walk up and down the perimeter fence in irregularly shaped fields resulting in more sward damage.

If cattle are very unsettled, do not be afraid to rehouse - assuming you have fodder. Trial work has shown that cattle out early that are rehoused are still heavier than animals that are turned out late. All of the above requires flexibility, enthusiasm and a bit of thought!