Grass Growth 2017.

Bleating Lamb

Is it me or has there being exceptional growth rates in last two to three weeks?

Would be a bit understocked this year and grass is getting too strong for the sheep...will try and let a few cattle into some fields to hopefully eat down the roughest stuff.Some fields would not be too dry so topping isn't an option even if I wanted to,how are others faring grass wise?

The part time boy

I was going to say the reverse.

I getting real tight for grass even though each paddock gets a bag of stuff after every grazing .

I am a bit over stocked but paddocks are closed off for 23 days and I be disappointed with covers

My last round grass was very strong I dunno am I suffering now for it . Bit low in lime too which is not helping I say.

Having said all that there was great grass in these field apart from last few weeks

I said

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

Is it me or has there being exceptional growth rates in last two to three weeks?

Would be a bit understocked this year and grass is getting too strong for the sheep...will try and let a few cattle into some fields to hopefully eat down the roughest stuff.Some fields would not be too dry so topping isn't an option even if I wanted to,how are others faring grass wise?

Serious spurt here also I've the baler and topper flat out the ride on lawn mower will be dusted of for Saturday for the lipp in Glas

dar31

Over 100kg/day growth for last 6 weeks, keeping contol of it has been a burden. Peek growth during main season for grass heading out. On top of if now, but caught me off guard for a week or so, cost me dearly.
Money I won't get back...

mahoney_j

Best and most consistent year so far growth wise here anyway ,weather playing ball too bar a few small spells here and there which in this country is to be expected .big stash of silage in yard and growing weekly for last few weeks .dont actually put a number on grass growth every week here but all paddocks walked at least twice weekly ,

MfMan

I also think it's lagging a bit (Galway). Great spurt in May but a couple of fields that were topped a couple of weeks ago are slow to regrow (and respond to fert.) Don't know is it too wet, dry, or cold...

darragh_haven

mahoney_j wrote: »

Best and most consistent year so far growth wise here anyway ,weather playing ball too bar a few small spells here and there which in this country is to be expected .big stash of silage in yard and growing weekly for last few weeks .dont actually put a number on grass growth every week here but all paddocks walked at least twice weekly ,

Between me and my dad, we find that we have tp walk the ground twice a week, or else a paddock or two will get the jump on you. And we cpuld end up baling a paddock that a mower or balers should not be in. (Rough, rock outcrops, etc)

freedominacup

dar31 wrote: »

Over 100kg/day growth for last 6 weeks, keeping contol of it has been a burden. Peek growth during main season for grass heading out. On top of if now, but caught me off guard for a week or so, cost me dearly.
Money I won't get back...

I don't think we were on those sort of gr but the past 3-4 weeks have been hard to manage. A good bit of milk lost here as well. Back up to 28/29l here but I was tearing my hair out there for a while. Despite all I've said about topping I'll be mowing every acre at some point between the 20th of april and first week of June next year. Using cows to manage grass is the wrong approach to maintain output. At this stage we're trying not to have cows going into paddocks more than 2 rotations from mowing or topping. Quality just not good enough beyond this.

Timmaay

dar31 wrote: »

Over 100kg/day growth for last 6 weeks, keeping contol of it has been a burden. Peek growth during main season for grass heading out. On top of if now, but caught me off guard for a week or so, cost me dearly.
Money I won't get back...

Completely diff story here less than 5miles away! Got the few weeks over the 100 defo, but no more than 30 last 2wks.

Biscuitus

Topped a bunch of paddocks the last 2 weeks and they are growing back quicker than I'd like. Still have more to top since paddocks grew up too strong. Its hard to manage grass this time of year.

Byrnie55483

In my area it is somewhere around the , If you dropped your stick , you would want to pick it up quick before the grass covered it level ?

Freejin

freedominacup wrote: »

I don't think we were on those sort of gr but the past 3-4 weeks have been hard to manage. A good bit of milk lost here as well. Back up to 28/29l here but I was tearing my hair out there for a while. Despite all I've said about topping I'll be mowing every acre at some point between the 20th of april and first week of June next year. Using cows to manage grass is the wrong approach to maintain output. At this stage we're trying not to have cows going into paddocks more than 2 rotations from mowing or topping. Quality just not good enough beyond this.

dar31 wrote: »

Over 100kg/day growth for last 6 weeks, keeping contol of it has been a burden. Peek growth during main season for grass heading out. On top of if now, but caught me off guard for a week or so, cost me dearly.
Money I won't get back...

Just out of curiosity, percentage wise, how much have fellas (spring calvers) fallen off from peak now. We're gone down about 18%, grass quality poor in the last rotation, should improve from now on

whelan2

Timmaay wrote: »

Completely diff story here less than 5miles away! Got the few weeks over the 100 defo, but no more than 30 last 2wks.

Are you feeding silage?

jaymla627

Freejin wrote: »

Just out of curiosity, percentage wise, how much have fellas (spring calvers) fallen off from peak now. We're gone down about 18%, grass quality poor in the last rotation, should improve from now on

Cows sitting at 30 litres here the past 4 weeks, where up to 31 this morning on the tank, all aftergrass ahead of them at the minute, funny thing is protein is after diving to 3.3 from 3.45 and bf has dropped from 3.75 to 3.6 had silage in at 3 kgs a head for a good few weeks as took out alot of the platform for bales and wet weather delayed cutting but it just shows how lush nitrogen filled aftergrass hasn't the magicial feed value that's afforded to it

mahoney_j

jaymla627 wrote: »

Cows sitting at 30 litres here the past 4 weeks, where up to 31 this morning on the tank, all aftergrass ahead of them at the minute, funny thing is protein is after diving to 3.3 from 3.45 and bf has dropped from 3.75 to 3.6 had silage in at 3 kgs a head for a good few weeks as took out alot of the platform for bales and wet weather delayed cutting but it just shows how lush nitrogen filled aftergrass hasn't the magicial feed value that's afforded to it

Could it be breeding jay????.simillar Ltrs here 3.98 fat ,3.61 p all aftergrass ahead be it after topping or bales ,must be something in this ebi lark !!!.cows peaked near 34 and held an exceptional peak this year ,dropping slowly last 2/3 weeks tho

jaymla627

mahoney_j wrote: »

Could it be breeding jay????.simillar Ltrs here 3.98 fat ,3.61 p all aftergrass ahead be it after topping or bales ,must be something in this ebi lark !!!.cows peaked near 34 and held an exceptional peak this year ,dropping slowly last 2/3 weeks tho

Putting it down to grass simply running straight through them at the minute, where grazing absoloute crap quality grass two weeks ago that since has been pulled out for wraps but pr was holding at 3.45, 3.5pr and 4.0bf are 2015/2016 averages happy with these solids considering I'd reckon 8000 litres plus herd average will be hit here in 2019 once I hit max cow numbers and herd matures...
Only peaked here at 33 litres had a nightmare of a ibr outbreak in april/may with 10% of herd having to be treated with marboycil

mahoney_j

jaymla627 wrote: »

Putting it down to grass simply running straight through them at the minute, where grazing absoloute crap quality grass two weeks ago that since has been pulled out for wraps but pr was holding at 3.45, 3.5pr and 4.0bf are 2015/2016 averages happy with these solids considering I'd reckon 8000 litres plus herd average will be hit here in 2019 once I hit max cow numbers and herd matures...
Only peaked here at 33 litres had a nightmare of a ibr outbreak in april/may with 10% of herd having to be treated with marboycil

Nothing wrong with 33 Ltrs peak ,personally wouldn't like to be going too far over that .

Western Pomise

Mixed farm here,Sucklers and sheep,have too much grass at moment too.There has being great growth in the West over last few weeks.

Was just around assessing rested fields there,and in one usually grazed by sheep the grass is halfway up my wellie!...and it was well grazes a fortnight ago....so will have to let a few cows in there as sheep would only tramp it into the ground.

How are other 'non dairy' lads doing?...as Dairy lads seem to have taken over this thread:)....only joking!

Keepgrowing

Freejin wrote: »

Just out of curiosity, percentage wise, how much have fellas (spring calvers) fallen off from peak now. We're gone down about 18%, grass quality poor in the last rotation, should improve from now on

We only measure in kgms and are down 10% on peak but holding

Buford T. Justice XIX

A pic of different growth patterns here this year. Silage ground cut last Sunday, left is heavier ground and right is lighter ground.


Much better growth on the ground with a good reserve of soil moisture.

Who2

Completly haywire at the moment. I'd had a tight spring and the grass is going wild. I'd scrapped the topper and broke the mower so I'm caught right now and will be taking in a lot of paddocks as soon as I get going.