While there’s never a quiet time in the summer, the job list is getting smaller. We completed a fodder budget and now have 70% of the required silage in stock. We got a good crop on one particular outside block which showed exceptionally low pH, two bags of granulated lime really did the trick.
This has now received 2.5 tonne (t) of ground limestone to the acre. In total, we have 100t of lime out this year. 60t was on outside ground, 20t for paddocks on the milking platform and the rest for reseeding. I got advice a few years ago to always get a bit extra lime as there is always some field that needs it.
As the growth rate slowed, we decided to keep topping to a minimum. Graze-outs have been fairly good, so hopefully, we won’t have a dip in quality for the next round. We brought in a couple of loads of red clover zero-grazing to correct a dip in the grass wedge.
The cows got their first taste of multispecies this week, eight weeks after sowing. It really took off once it got to 800kgDM/ha. My first thoughts on the multi-species were that the plantain and chicory were very dominant, and we wondered if we put it in too heavy at sowing, but it looks ok now once grazed, and there’s plenty of grass in it.
On the positive side, the docks were much lower than I expected, considering you can’t use a post-emergence spray on multispecies.
The first of it was grazed at 1200kgDM/ha. It took them a few grazings to adjust, but we’re happy enough with the clean-out, which is probably closer to 80kgDM/ha. The plan now is to graze next at a cover of 1450kgDM/ha. It will get no more chemical nitrogen for now and some light slurry after the next grazing.
The clover paddocks are looking good; we’ve cut back the chemical nitrogen on them, with a good percentage of clover to between 0 and 10 units to the acre.
There are signs of clover peeping in the over-sown sward; it’s amazing how it can be set the same week as the new sward and be so far behind. Conditions have been good enough for over-sowing as we’ve got rain little and often since sowing. This has been grazed at a cover of 900kg/ha.
I’m constantly looking at the ash trees with dieback disease, there’s probably 30 on roadside that need to come down before the winter. We must also tidy up around the yard as we put in a new tank and cubicles at the back end of last year.
Breeding looks to be back from 64% in 2023 to a 60% non-return rate from first service this year and the sexed semen on the cows looks like a 50% conception rate. It’s ok, but I’ve heard of plenty doing better. Cows are holding well at 1.98kg milk solids as percentages are finally starting to move up.