Lessons learnt from drought-prone farms
Dr David Lawrence
Head of Nutrition, Agritech
For some livestock farmers, this year has been likened to the landmark years of 2018 and 1976, but for many others, it has been just another year of dealing with low mid-season grass growth due to drought conditions.
Three key learnings from farms that suffer drought on an almost annual basis are:
- Never take forage stocks for granted and always have a back-up plan.
While silage stocks were ahead of target entering July, we now must build grass for grazing through the autumn and rebuild some winter forage stocks. Calculate your fodder budget this month and ensure you have a plan to be comfortable for the coming winter. This may mean purchasing additional silage and concentrates now to allow grass supply to build. A fodder budget may also expose the limit of what stock your farm should carry for the winter, helping to inform early decisions on culling or selling store cattle, for example.
- Maintain animal performance as much as possible.
Dairy cows require higher levels of concentrate to maintain milk production on silage than on grass. A sudden increase of concentrate or the sudden introduction of silage has impacted rumen health on many farms. Consider mycotoxin binders and rumen buffers to maintain rumen health and maximise production efficiency from additional inputs. Calves may begin to scour and lose thrive due to shorter, high-protein grass following drought. Rumen buffers can help with this, along with additional long, dry roughage such as straw.
- Set up the farm to grow high-quality grass when soil moisture returns.
There is a good growth response to rain following drought due to the contribution of soil nutrient mineralisation (known as the Birch Effect). Avoid “catching up” on nitrogen application to drive growth. Rather, dial back your application rate and go more often if the conditions agree. Getting a good graze out now is a key step in resuming grass growth. If you must utilise higher covers of grass, topping or pre-mowing are good ways to set the sward up for future.
For further advice, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.