Tuesday, 16 January 2018

Week ending farm notes

• Cover has increased this week to 2267kgDM/ha with the whole farm growing 47kgDM/ha/day – the heavier soils on the top block of the farm growing 55-80kg/day. 0mm of rain this week, though the heavier soils on the farm are still enjoying the recent soil moisture top up, with very strong growth and very good quality.
• Cows have grazed 3.5a/day this is equivalent to a 42 day round of the whole farm or 39 day round of the paddocks held in the grazing round for the last week (137 ha). Initially offering 14kgof grass lead to higher residuals, so cows were held back in areas with approximately 12kg of grass disappearing instead. 
• Milkers have produced an average of 1.31kgMS/cow, holding compared to last week still on OAD. Cows took a long time to remember/work out that the Turnip bulbs were not giant pebbles, but a tasty food source. 
• As encouragement PKE was reduced from 3kg/cow/day for each herd, to 0kg for older cows and 1.75kg/cow/day for younger cows (ad-lib on lanes instead of in the turnip paddock, and roughly 1.75kg/cow disappears/day). Over the weekend both mobs made the connection and scoffed up remaining bulbs and fresh bulb and leaf, on average 4kg/cow/day of crop has been fed this week. This will increase to 5kg/cow/day now and likely see cows “overnighting” in their crop paddocks.
• Turnip crops were weighed last week, the two mature Barkant crops weighed at 10T and 12.8T. This sounds quite disappointing in yield, but to look at the crops are “big” and had just received a big drink of Rain.  Regardless, at our current yield, we can still feed 5kg/cow/day until March 5^th as per plan.  Interim weights on the other 4 paddocks of crop show them at 9-10tDM/ha now and still actively growing.
• Spore counts remain at a zero spore count, however Zinc continues in the Dosatron.

Tuesday, 9 January 2018

Week ending farm notes

• Cover has increased slightly thus week to 2190kgDM/ha with the whole farm growing 45kgDM/ha/day. Cows have grazed 3.6ha/day this is equivalent to a 39 day round of the whole farm or 36 day round of the paddocks held in the grazing round for the last week (137 ha).
• 55mm of rain in the week was very welcome and came in slow steady fashion from Wednesday to Saturday. This has bolstered the amount of quality grass in the feed wedge for coming weeks. 
• Cows have been hitting residual well, though we now question whether they are “stopping” at 1500 for an hour or three before milking. This is reflected in production where despite better looking grass than the week prior, production has dropped further.  Milkers have produced an average of 1.30kgMS/cow/day with the whole herd on OAD with an allocation of approximately 14.5kg of grass/cow/day.
• PKE levels have averaged 3kg/cow during the week, plus cows have been getting offered turnips for 3 days this week. As of tomorrow their time on crop will extend to 4 hours to give them time to eat the bulbs, plus the same pasture allocation to try and increase total intake. 
• We feel we have enough feed on farm, to offer more to cows and bolster production with it. Last night one herd looked tight and were moved on to a fresh break and produced more milk, while we can afford to feed them more grass we will endeavour to do so.
• Spore counts last week, and this week reveal a zero spore count, however Zinc has been added to the dosatron for 10 days.

Wednesday, 3 January 2018

Week ending 03-01-18 farm notes

• Cover has decreased this week to 2184kgDM/ha with the whole farm growing 31kgDM/ha/day. Cows have grazed 3.3ha/day this is equivalent to a 45 day round of the whole farm or 42 day round of the paddocks held in the grazing round for the last week (137 ha). 
• With very long and seedy pre-graze at the top of the wedge last week, cows were held in paddocks until they grazed it satisfactorily. This ensured, residuals that will promote quality regrowth, along with slowing the round considerably.
• This impacted production somewhat with cows being held to eat poorer quality pasture, as a short term pain for longer term gain.  Milkers have produced an average of 1.39kgMS/cow/day with the whole herd on OAD milking for most of the week.
• PKE levels have averaged 2kg/cow during the week, and with shorter grass coming through the wedge will increase to 3kg/cow/day in the coming week.
• Cows have been offered 15kg of grass, and have been forced to graze to residual in challenging quality. 
• Turnip crops look very strong, as such we will weigh and begin feeding on the 11^th4 days earlier than anticipated to help fill the feed hole.
• Rain throughout the week was sporadic, 2mm, + 4mm + 1mm occurring over the week.  Today has been more fruitful, and the weather looming looks set to give us a good moisture yield.

Wednesday, 27 December 2017

Week ending farm notes

• Cover has decreased this week to 2237kgDM/ha with the whole farm growing 35kgDM/ha/day. Cows have grazed 4.5ha/day this is equivalent to a 33 day round of the whole farm or 30day round of the paddocks held in the grazing round for the last week (137 ha).
• A week of low supplement levels and below expected growth, has reined in the top end of the feed wedge and opened up the looming deficit we expected in January that would need filling with supplements. There is a week of long cover to carefully work through – and a number of these paddocks will be mowed ahead of cows to demolish the seed in pastures, and where possible have it eaten more easily by cows rather than left as eczema fodder.
• Milkers have been producing an average of 1.47 kgMS/cow this week ranging from 1.53kg/cow to 1.42kg/cow. Largely dropping through the week as less PKE was offered (1kg/cow/day) and the long grass of poorly quality was consumed.
• Cows have been offered 15.5kg of grass, and have grazed to residual in challenging quality. Short term pain for long term gain though, as we stretch our resources ahead of us.  The week ahead will see PKE increased to 2kg as we are offering shorter pre-grazing cover, but will be adjusted downward in volume if residuals aren’t met.
• 2/3rds of the herd are now on OAD milking, with the balance to follow in the next few days. The slow change of chunks of the herd each day has managed the SCC transition nicely.
• Turnip crops look very strong, as such we will weigh and begin feeding on the 11^th 4 days earlier than anticipated to help fill the feed hole.

Monday, 18 December 2017

Week ending farm notes

We were very lucky to get 5.8mm of rain overnight. It was very welcome - unfortunately sounds like the distribution of that benefit around the rural areas been quite varied.
As mentioned yesterday the cows were sent back for re-grazing overnight and tidied grass up a lot better in the few paddocks where residuals had crept up. 
We've also had a challenge put to us by a trusted advisor to have a good think about our current position and to react more to where our feed is right now, than worrying 3 months ahead.  Quite fair! 
So, we will drop our PKE usage back to 1kg/cow/day for the next 2 weeks while we still enjoy this growth ahead of us but allocate no more pasture/day - instead force higher utilisation on the herd.
We're going to keep farm walking each week through the holidays, so we can still react to any changes in cover quickly. 

• Cover has increased this week to 2412kgDM/ha with the whole farm growing 53kgDM/ha/day. Cows have grazed 4.2ha/day this is equivalent to a 35 day round of the whole farm or 32day round of the paddocks held in the grazing round for the last week (137 ha).  The growth rate has exceeded expectations for the week, particularly at the top end of the wedge (averaging 59kg/day). As such, some paddocks have become longer than we would have anticipated or desired.
• The feed wedge remains strong, however several paddocks near the top of the wedge have become undesirable to graze due to rapidly changed composition. Cows have largely trampled the feed in the first breaks – despite the fact that these aren’t the longest grass on the farm.  As such these three paddocks (6ha) will be baled into hay and controlled mechanically now.
• Milkers have been producing an average of 1.54 kgMS/cow this week ranging from 1.51kg/cow to 1.57kg/cow. PKE use this week has increased to an average of 2.5kg/cow.
• Cows were to be allocated 15.5kg of pasture this week plus PKE at 2.5kg/cow. The pasture allocation has varied between 15.5kg to 16.5kg with the higher allocation resulting in more pasture left in residuals which is having to be back-grazed to correct.
• The week ahead will see us reduce PKE intake closer to 2kg, this is a deviation from our original budget plan which saw the this feeding regime, controlling PKE at 2kg/cow/day and allocating area to residual on approximately 34 day round.
• Cow condition is being monitored and remains a concern. There are approximately 70 cows on OAD so far and with the weather and heat stress we are seeing we have decided to protect condition by transitioning the herd to OAD over the next 2 weeks.
• In anticipation of rain shortly we have applied Nitrogen to the farm at 34kg/ha to 65% of the farm (bulk of the wedge not due to graze in 10 days).
• The early pregnancy test was completed today and we have at this stage 72% of the herd in-calf to the first 6 weeks of mating. This is equivalent to the result last year.

Tuesday, 12 December 2017

Week ending farm notes

• Cover has increased this week to 2369kgDM/ha with the whole farm growing 69kgDM/ha/day. Cows have grazed 3.7ha/day this is equivalent to a 40 day round of the whole farm or 37day round of the paddocks held in the grazing round for the last week (137 ha).  The large change in rotation occurred as we grazed off the very long silage paddocks. In the coming days we will return to approximately a 30-34 day round of the 137Ha in grass at approx. 4.5-4.0Ha/day.
• With 70mm of rain in the second half of the week an increase in growth has occurred over last week, however the biggest change in cover comes from the small area of the farm grazed.
• The feed wedge gives hints of a surplus several weeks out but we are considering the option to defer graze several of the silage paddocks (just eaten this week) for standing hay to manage this if necessary.  Brassica crops are looking fantastic after their drink of rain.
• Milkers have been producing an average of 1.52 kgMS/cow this week ranging from 1.56kg/cow to 1.48kg/cow. With the heat and the slightly poorer quality grass in the silage paddocks being the biggest influencer of production.  Cows frequently chose to cease grazing and seek shade in the hot weather that occurred – the visible effects of heat stress are difficult to miss at the moment.
• Cows have been allocated 18kg of pasture this week though disappearance is closer to 17kg/cow/day as most of this week’s pasture was in very long silage paddocks. Residuals in these paddocks was longer than target with a lot of stem left behind, however the tops of all seed/stem has been eaten and all available leaf well foraged. The regrowth is rapid and leafy from the base of the plant and we believe the remnant stem will be manageable by grazing early in the coming round and mown as a last resort.  PKE supplementation did not start in the past week, but will be introduced this week and cows will be offered 17kg of pasture/day

Monday, 4 December 2017

Week ending farm notes

·        Cover has increased this week to 2369kgDM/ha with the whole farm growing 69kgDM/ha/day.  Cows have grazed 3.7ha/day this is equivalent to a 40 day round of the whole farm or 37day round of the paddocks held in the grazing round for the last week (137 ha). The large change in rotation occurred as we grazed off the very long silage paddocks. In the coming days we will return to approximately a 30-34 day round of the 137Ha in grass at approx. 4.5-4.0Ha/day.

·        With 70mm of rain in the second half of the week an increase in growth has occurred over last week, however the biggest change in cover comes from the small area of the farm grazed. 

·        The feed wedge  gives hints of a surplus several weeks out but we are considering the option to defer graze several of the silage paddocks (just eaten this week) for standing hay to manage this if necessary.  Brassica crops are looking fantastic after their drink of rain.

·       Milkers have been producing an average of 1.52 kgMS/cow this week ranging from 1.56kg/cow to 1.48kg/cow.  With the heat and the slightly poorer quality grass in the silage paddocks being the biggest influencer of production.  Cows frequently chose to cease grazing and seek shade in the hot weather that occurred – the visible effects of heat stress are difficult to miss at the moment.

·       Cows have been allocated 18kg of pasture this week though disappearance is closer to 17kg/cow/day as most of this week’s pasture was in very long silage paddocks.  Residuals in these paddocks was longer than target with a lot of stem left behind, however the tops of all seed/stem has been eaten and all available leaf well foraged. The regrowth is rapid and leafy from the base of the plant and we believe the remnant stem will be manageable by grazing early in the coming round and mown as a last resort.  PKE supplementation did not start in the past week, but will be introduced this week and cows will be offered 17kg of pasture/day

Monday, 27 November 2017

Week ending farm notes

·        Cover has decreased this week to 2255kgDM/ha with the whole farm growing 57kgDM/ha/day.  Cows have grazed 5.6ha/day this is equivalent to a 27 day round of the whole farm or 23day round of the paddocks held in the grazing round for the last week (127 ha).  11ha were excluded from the wedge for silage, but in the coming week will be grazed off.

·       Cows appear to have been allocated 17.5kg of pasture this week, and on most days have sought any shade available in the heat of the day reducing the amount of time spent grazing.  Milkers have been producing an average of 1.59 kgMS/cow this week ranging from 1.66kg/cow to 1.54kg/cow.  The week ahead will see allocations lifted slightly with the long grass ahead, and introduction of PKE when it fits from Friday onwards at 1kg/cow.

·        With a rapidly drying farm, cows have grazed to just under 1500kgDM/ha twice this week, and closer to 1600kgDM/ha several times as well.  The nature of grass at the moment means accurately predicting the cover is proving a challenge.  As such the decision to eat off our previous surplus is an easy one to make.  Holding the slowest possible round right now is vital to maximise growth.

·        The feed wedge surplus at the top of the wedge is to be eaten in the coming week, and will stretch our round out to 33 days of the area in grass on farm, with all grass paddocks in rotation.  This should create a nice breathing space for the other paddocks on the farm to grow quietly in the current weather.

·        Soil temp has lifted rapidly this week, and considerable areas of the farm are burning off in pasture.  See images attached.

Monday, 20 November 2017

Week ending farm notes

·        Cover has increased this week to 2308kgDM/ha with the whole farm growing 82kgDM/ha/day.  Cows have grazed just over 5ha/day this is equivalent to a 27 day round of the whole farm or 23day round of the paddocks held in the grazing round (127 ha).  11ha are removed from the wedge for silage.

·        The long covers from last week have been grazed through, and had a small impact on production in the poorest quality paddocks.  2 paddocks were post-grazed mowed for weed management (Dock and Californian thistles). 

·        The feed wedge shows a small surplus at the top of the wedge.  It still forecasts a potential deficit 10 days out, however with the need to begin feeding PKE in 10 days this will hopefully line up nicely with shorter pre-grazing covers to maintain our residuals.  The current paddocks noted in surplus are being used to maintain quality in front of the cows.  Should growth rates drop quickly and the budgeted PKE be insufficient, these paddocks will be mowed back into the round and grazed.

·        Cows have been allocated 18kg to 18.5kg of pasture this week, with plenty of seed head in all paddocks.  Where allocation was closer to 18.5kg/cow residuals have lifted closer to 1600kgDM/ha without appreciable increases in production.  We will offer 18.5kg/cow in the coming week unless residuals come up at which point total allocation will reduce to 18kg/cow.  The very dry nature of pasture and the top inch of soil is encouraging to maintain a conservative approach to feed allocation.

·       Milkers have been producing an average of 1.73 kgMS/cow this week ranging from 1.67kg/cow to 1.80kg/cow with a very volatile fat % being the biggest influencer on production as litres and protein have been quite consistent.  One cow was lost to bloat this week despite bloat oil in the trough for some time.  It was the paddock with the most clover on the farm.

Monday, 13 November 2017

Week ending farm notes

▪        Cover has decreased this week to 2220kgDM/ha as silage was harvested.  The grazing area (excluding the silage area) has increased in cover this week from 2273kgDM/ha last week, to 2324kgDM/ha this week with the whole farm growing 80kgDM/ha/day.  Cows have grazed just under 5ha/day this is equivalent to a 30 day round of the whole farm or 24day round of the paddocks held in the grazing round.

▪        Pre-graze mowing of 1 paddock has occurred to re-establish an appropriate residual, 2 other paddocks were topped post-grazing to remove significant weed seed.  Post-grazing residuals this week have been between 1475 and 1550kgDM/ha. 

▪        As we had hoped, cows have lifted in production throughout the week on the increased pre-grazing covers.  With all of the first silage now mowed and back in the wedge, 3 long paddocks have been excluded for a 2nd silage cut, with a handful of others earmarked to exclude if strong growth persists.

It seems strange to drop more silage on a wedge with a hole in it – but in reality if we stick to our current grazed area ~5ha/day, this will keep us on a 27 day round of the paddocks that are in grass.  This will continue to maximise our growth and we will end up with extra-long pre-grazing or making more silage.  As we want the extra silage anyway, planning where we need it is critical so we’re proactively predicting silage.      

This also acts as a pressure relief valve to help manage the top end of the wedge.  Massive growth has kept up in front of us and the longest paddocks can’t be mowed so Tom is adjusting areas allocated to hit residual through tricky paddocks.

▪        Cows have been allocated 18.5kg of pasture this week, with plenty of seed head in all paddocks.  Pasture samples taken showed pasture quality ranging from 11.6MJME/kgDM to 12.3MJME/kgDM.

▪       Milkers have been producing an average of 1.76 kgMS/cow this week ranging from 1.73kg/cow to 1.79kg/cow and climbing throughout the week which is pleasing.

▪       AB is now complete and bulls are out with the herd.

Monday, 6 November 2017

Week ending farm notes:

·        Cover has increased this week to 2,488kgDM/ha with net growth of 85kg/day.  Cows have been on an average of a 30 day round of the farm/23 day round of the area in the grazing round. Silage area has stretched to 14.25ha including the Italians near the shed and that is the end of paddocks to be included in this silage cut – booked in 10 days time.

·        Pre-graze mowing of 4 more paddocks has occurred in winter-wet areas, to re-establish an appropriate residual.  Post-grazing residuals this week have been between 1500 and 1550kgDM/ha.  Unlike the last 3 weeks where we moved cows on if we felt their break was finished and sped up the round we have held closer to 5ha/day.  This was a decision in large part due to the slow decrease in length of our pre-grazing covers on the slightly quicker rounds we had experienced. 

·        Even in the lower residuals achieved, there is still much evidence of small amounts of un-grazed pasture indicating we are offering close to sufficient grass ahead.  While this has been less total feed offered, than the more generous allocation of the previous 3 weeks, it has been in far more favourable conditions with much better utilisation.  With seed-head rife across the farm, there is no room for lax-residuals and we’ve pressed the herd a little harder.

·        The feed wedge shows the surplus sitting at the top of the wedge, plus 2 paddocks now occupied solely by calves.  The grazing wedge has filled in much more nicely than last week and pre-grazing covers are about 75-100kgDM/ha longer than last week.  We expect that we can increase total intake slightly in the coming days as a consequence of our actions in the last 7 days.

·        Cows have been allocated 18kg of pasture this week, and there has been a fast and dramatic change to the composition of what is being offered.  75% of the farm is now covered in seed head, which represents a low quality component that is about 1/3 of the feed available at the moment.

·       Milkers have been producing an average of 1.75 kgMS/cow this week ranging from 1.82kg/cow to 1.69kg/cow. 

Monday, 30 October 2017

Week ending farm notes

·        Cover has decreased this week to 2,367kgDM/ha with net growth of 76kg/day.  This week, cows have been on an average of a 27 day round of the farm/22 day round of the area in the grazing round. Silage area has reduced by 6ha as two paddocks were grazed and one is earmarked back into the round for grazing.

·        Pre-graze mowing of a handful of paddocks has had mixed results, where in most paddocks cows have been content with the volume in the paddock.  However there is sufficient evidence to validate the research that mowing ahead does have high wastage, and therefore utilisation has ultimately been lower than desirable.  Several paddocks left cows in need of a fresh break sooner than anticipated and moved on accordingly.

·        The feed wedge shows the surplus sitting largely at the top of the wedge however in volume is now only 9ha of the farm.  The grazing wedge has filled in well, and we can confidently see feed ahead of us, though the very dry conditions of late mean a spot of rain on the weekend hasn’t gone astray! Nitrogen applications took a 2 week break, but resumed this week.

·        Cows have been allocated 19kg of pasture again this week, and residuals have varied between 1500-1550kgDM/ha.

·        Milkers have been producing an average of 1.91kgMS/cow this week ranging from 1.94kg/cow to 1.83kg/cow.