Light at the end of the calving tunnel

Yay, most of us will be over halfway through calving now. Hopefully the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to become a bit brighter for you!

At this stage of calving comes multiple mobs, pasture supply still well below demand and the wet weather to just make life a little more challenging.

Pasture management for the next month is of utmost importance. Hitting target residuals (~1500kg DM/ha) now will ensure that pasture is of high quality when you return next round. Leaving grass behind increases the portion of stem and dead material and remaining leaves die meaning pasture quality is reduced. The result; pasture quality, cow intake and MS production are all reduced. This isn’t what any of us want. If the cows are leaving pasture, consider reducing/ removing supplements and/or reducing area allocated.

From a wellbeing perspective this can be a challenging time of the year. Look out for others on farm and in your community. Farmstrong has five top tips to ensure you stay well during calving:

1. Be active

2. Keep learning

3. Take notice

4. Connect

5. Give. Discussion can connect you with others and continue learning. To come along to our next group see the DairyNZ website or give your local consulting officer a call.

‘At this stage of calving comes multiple mobs, pasture supply still well below demand and the wet weather to just make life a little ’ more challenging.