It’s proving a difficult start to grazing season
‘Fire training’ campaign being launched after blazing year
THE weather is beginning to dry up and with continued dry conditions farmers will be able to get stock out of sheds onto pastures.
However cold and wet conditions will lead to lower than normal growth rates for this time of year.
Many farms where animals are out are seeing very slow recovery on paddocks. Below normal temperatures can impacted severely on both growth and regrowths of pastures and many fields have very low covers to start with.
Suckler cows that are turned out with calves are at higher risk of grass tetany at this time of year and it is recommended to herd at least twice a day as young calves can easily succumb to pneumonia in cold and variable weather.
Grazing ground considerations – an issue for many farms will be late turnout with good covers carried over from winter which can get ahead of stock quickly if good growth conditions kick in.
To combat this get stock out as quickly as possible as ground conditions allow. Consider grazing lighter covers first as this will help control things better when growth starts.
Heavier covers could be taken out as silage in May or June if surplus grass becomes an issue. Tactics for grazing will depend on the supply of grass and ground conditions.
If conditions are wet but sufficient grass is available the use of on-off grazing, multiple gaps and temporary roadways can all be considered.
If conditions remain dry full-time grazing utilising block paddocks is a good idea to get ground fully grazed. This will improve grass quality for later grazings.
Where a farm is tight on grass but very wet it makes sense to re-house at least some stock.
Feed these minimum roughage and meal inside.
The animals remaining outside can be fed meal outside taking care to avoid poaching. Of course where it is possible all cattle should be out grazing.
Also keep in mind silage making requirements and whether to graze silage ground prior to closing.
To achieve high quality silage the optimum time for harvesting is around the early June period.
Most farms will close silage fields off in April for cutting towards the end of May or early June. It is important that silage fields are grazed prior to this in order to remove dead material off these fields in order to make good quality highly digestible silage.
It will also result in higher yields of silage if they are grazed before closing.
This may be a problem this spring on cattle farms where poor growth and ground conditions have pushed back the date of cattle going to grass.
However this is not always practical and where silage ground is not grazed in the spring good quality silage can be obtained by cutting earlier.
It is important that as ground conditions improve that higher stocking rates are applied on these fields over a short period in order to graze them out in preparation for silage conservation. A series of National Fire Training Days are due to take place around the country over the coming weeks as part of a campaign led by Coillte in association with the Forest Service and with the support of the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed T.D., who officially launched the campaign.
The launch heard that in an effort to reduce forest fire incidents, the public are being urged to be vigilant and report fires as soon as possible. While land owners are being reminded that burning vegetation on land not yet cultivated between 1st March and 31st August each year is an offence.
Mick Power, Coillte National Estates Risk Manager said:
“At the start of spring there is often a lot of dead vegetation accumulated from last year. This material can dry out quickly when there are bright sunny days, high temperatures and low humidity levels, which can greatly increase the risk of fire.”
“However, with the National Fire Training Days campaign, as well as working with land managers, we are appealing to the public to be vigilant and most importantly to report forest fires in a bid to protect the countryside, its wildlife and residents.”
2017 was an exceptional year for forest fires in Ireland with 85 separate fire events on Coillte property alone, which affected more than 1,700 hectares of forestry and 2,000 hectares of bog.
The cost of fighting these fires as well as the loss of standing timber was significant and Coillte are still engaged in an ongoing process to evaluate the expenditure required to ensure forest and habitat regeneration.
“This process is very challenging as significant work is required to remove burnt material and prepare the lands for reforestation.
“Most areas will be fully replanted while others may be converted to biodiversity and nature conservation areas with the agreement of the Forest Service,” Mick Power added.
Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed T.D. said at the launch: “Livestock, farmland, wildlife, protected woodland and sites of special scientific interest can all be devastated by these fires, as can the lives of people living and working in rural communities.
“However, human behaviour can significantly lower the chance of a wildfire starting so it’s essential people act safely and responsibly.”