How livestock farmers can maximise fodder for their animals

With grass growth in mid April akin to that expected in mid February, livestock farmers need to be extra careful this year when trying to maximise fodder for their animals, says one leading expert.

“The very cold spring has been a nightmare for many farmers,” said David Long, research & development manager at Barenbrug. “Soil temperatures in April have been around three degrees when grass needs a minimum of five degrees to start growing, while average temperatures should be around ten degrees!

“However a grass plants ‘heading’ date is controlled by the amount of daylight and not temperature. So even though there is virtually no growth at the moment the grasses will still try to ‘head’ in mid or late May.

“So what in a normal year will be up to 10 weeks growth before the first cut, this will now be concentrated into half that amount of time.

“The consequences of this for farmers is that when growth does start the plant will grow very rapidly. To make the most of this, and to ensure the biggest first cut possible, it is essential growth is not limited by any shortage of nutrients from either fertiliser or slurry, but also that surplus nitrogen is not left in the plant when it is harvested which may affect fermentation.

“That way while the quantity of grass in the first cut might not be as large as normal it should be of high quality and make excellent silage.

“Farmers should not be tempted to leave the first cut until after the ‘heading’ date as the resultant grass will be more fibrous, resulting in a much lower quality silage.”