Grass Growth

In recent weeks, slow growth has been the common factor noted across the regions, with much of the focus devoted to balancing grass availability and maintaining quality. Where grass growth is slow, wasting grass must be avoided. Residuals of 3.5-4cm must be achieved in order to create high-quality covers for the next rotation when growth rates will hopefully rectify themselves. Grass walks should be undertaken at least once weekly but ideally twice weekly where grass is tight.

Milk Output 

Milk output must also be monitored; average milk yield decline should be no greater than 2.5% per week at this point in the lactation. Where volume or solids are falling quicker than this, quality and quantity of grass needs to be revised. Where quality is low, or silage is reintroduced into the diet, ensure the cows’ energy requirements are being met accordingly. Increased supplementation may be required. Reduced energy density in the diet will result in decreased milk protein % and reduced milk output. Once growth has increased and quality has been rectified (with breeding also concluding), feeding rates can be reduced.

Forage Stocks

Looking ahead to the winter, now is a good time to assess how much fodder is on farm with first cuts completed, while some early 2nd cuts and surplus bales have been taken. With forage stocks depleted due to the late spring, it’s important to plan for the forthcoming winter while noting how much subsequent forage remains unharvested.

2024 Spring-Born Calves

At this point, 2024 Spring-born calves should have smoothly transitioned to grazing. Weighing scales remain one of the most underutilised management tools on farm and should be used to gauge where we are at regarding target weights ~ 200kg by mid-September (33% of mature cow weight) or 0.7-0.8kg/hd/day. Parasite burdens can also have a huge impact on youngstock performance over the 1st grazing season and should be discussed on a herd-by-herd basis with your veterinary practitioner.

For more information, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor

Another target weight to keep in mind with February and early born March calves is to weigh 180 – 190 kgs by the 1st of September, equating to an average daily gain of 0.7-0.8kg/head/day.

In an ideal world calves would be weighed regularly over their first season at grass to track average daily gains. This will allow for informed decision making regarding decreasing concentrate feeding rates at grass. 2kg of a low protein (<16%), high fibre concentrate should be offered while grazing for the first 3-4 weeks of grazing and only considered to be reduced thereafter, to approx. 1 kg. Where early born (Late Jan/Feb born) calves are on target and adjusted to grazing well, supplementation can be reduced further or removed – but this should not happen until late June; supplementation will need to be reintroduced when grass quality declines (late summer) and/or if targets are not being met.

Within groups, there will always be outliers that should be prioritized, calves failing to achieve the above outlined weights (especially younger born March calves). This lighter group needs to be offered a higher rate of supplementation, supplemented for later into the summer and prioritised for grass availability.

Replacement heifers struggling to achieve target weights in the first season at grass, typically results in a heifer too light at housing, and if not fed appropriately and returned to grass early, results in a heifer too light at the point of bulling – negatively effecting her longevity within the herd as a mature cow. With calf-to-beef situations a poor first season at grass will result in prolonged days to slaughter at a significant cost.

Parasite control

Stomach worms and lungworms (hoose) are the most common parasites of calves at grass – with burdens typically building during May-July (weather dependant). Although burdens may be building, clinical signs/symptoms are not experienced or seen typically until mid-summer onwards and this is when action will be required.

Warm humid conditions followed by heavy rainfall can result in rapid multiplication and a close eye will need to be kept on youngstock at grass over the next number of weeks. A dosing protocol should be discussed on a herd-by-herd basis with your veterinary practitioner, as conditions/grazing management & resistance in herds will vary hugely. Dung sampling is also advised to pinpoint issues. Stomach worms will typically present as scouring, and poor thrive while lungworm will need to be dealt with where husky coughing occurs (especially when being moved). Where poor thrive and loose dung is an issue, dung sampling to rule out coccidiosis is also required. It is important that poor thrive caused by parasites is not to be wrongly self- diagnosed as summer scour syndrome.

For further information, contact your local sales advisor

The ultimate goal of calf rearing is to set up a heifer to achieve target weights over her lifetime in order to maximise profitability. These targets will include doubling her birthweight at the point of weaning, achieving 60% of her mature weight at breeding, and calving down at 24 months at 90% of her mature body weight.

To reach such targets, replacement heifers need to achieve a steady gain of approximately 0.75 kg/day from birth. Interruptions to performance over the calf-rearing period may offset such target weights being achieved. Therefore, adopting best practice calf rearing advice and protocols are of key importance over the next few vital weeks.

3-2-1 Rule

Good colostrum management is the most important factor in calf health and survival. Over the last 3-5 years, 70% of calves that presented for a post-mortem at regional veterinary laboratories, were found to have received either poor quality or insufficient quantities of colostrum.

When feeding colostrum, it is essential that the 3-2-1 rule is adhered to. This includes providing the calf with at a minimum of 3 litres (or 5-6% of a calf’s birth weight), within 2 hours of birth, using colostrum from the cows first milking. This process should then be repeated 8 hours later, however it is important to note that by the second milking, the dam’s immunoglobulin content will have halved.

Cleanliness of colostrum is a huge dictating factor, as the amount of dirt particles or contamination to the colostrum before entering the calf will limit the amount of immunity absorption available. Feeding pooled colostrum to calves is also not recommended as it can lead to major risk factors including increased disease risk and poor-quality colostrum entering the pool.

With this in mind, it is essential to ensure that all utensils are sterile and that milking protocols and good colostrum harvesting hygiene are applied.

Calf Hygiene and Facilities

Facilities ideally should be clean, dry, draught free, with good ventilation. A new-born calf will spend over 80% of their time lying down, therefore it is imperative to provide a deep, warm, dry bed always.

Calves should spend minimal time periods in the calving-pen to avoid picking up infection or disease. To avoid carrying disease into the calf shed over the peak calving months, set-up a wash point at the entrance to the calf shed for staff, vets, etc. Early detection of sick calves and isolation to avoid spreading bacterial infections, is also of high importance.

Rumen Development

Once a calf starts to intake water and starter concentrates/ration, we introduce healthy bacteria into the rumen which will kick-start rumen development. Starter concentrates and ad-lib fresh water should be available to the calf from three days of age. A clean source of long roughage/fibre (e.g. straw) should also be available at all times to promote dry matter intakes This forage should be offered above ground level in racks/mangers.

Weaning should only ever be considered once calves are consuming 1.5 kg of concentrates/day. Weaning calves on a weight basis, compared to an age basis, will result in a more uniform batch.

Milk Replacer Choice

When it comes to milk replacer, the three main benefits include:

1. Cost effectiveness
2. Reduced risk of disease transfer in the herd
3. Consistency in the calf’s diet

Milk replacer should be dairy derived and contain a high dairy content. Dairy proteins are more easily digestible and available to the calf compared to plant-based proteins. Both Vitalac Red and Blue Calf Milk Replacers contain a 90-95% dairy content.

Milk replacer should replicate the role of good quality whole milk, typically offered at 12.5% milk solids (E.g. 125 g powder, into 875ml clean water to make 1 litre of milk). Feeding a calf twice-a-day at 6 litres/day would result in offering the calf 750 g of powder/day.

When mixing, adhere to the milk replacer guidelines outlined below using fresh clean, warm water and sterile mixing and feeding utensils. The optimal drinking temperature of the calf milk replacer is 39°C. To prepare the milk, dissolve the powder in two-thirds of the amount of water at 55-60°C and add the remaining water at room temperature until the optimum drinking temperature is reached.

See typical milk replacer feeding guidelines below:

More Information:

For more information, browse our Vitalac Calf Milk Replacer page or download the Agritech-Milk-Replacer-Brochure (2.5MB).

PICA is often a noticeable issue on farm during this time of year, which can have negative effects on the breeding season.

Pica is often defined as a cows’ desire to eat things that do not have any nutritional value. Currently, as we move into the breeding season, concerns are being raised around cows/breeding heifers licking and chewing foreign objects such as stones, plastic, and clay etc. Typically associated with drought conditions and poor P index soils, a cold/dry spell in April can exacerbate the issue.

While there is little research on Pica, it is generally thought there are three main causes: a lack of phosphorus, sodium, or the incidence of rumen acidosis/lack of fibre in the diet. A sodium deficiency tends to occur in grazed grass due to an oversupply of potash, while a phosphorus deficiency is usually caused by a low index of phosphorus in the soil or in rapid/poor grass growth rates. Rumen acidosis is far more prominent in grass-based systems than we think; due to the emphasis on the production of high D-value grass with low fibre levels.

It is important to be vigilant for such behaviours as they pose an additional risk, especially in out farm situations. Ensure toxic plants and foreign inedible objects such as nails, wires and discarded batteries are not within reach and/or fence off any high-risk areas.  

Addressing phosphorus and sodium deficiencies

To address the phosphorus and sodium deficiencies, we recommend supplying salt licks to your cows that contain a high level of phosphorus. Here at Agritech, we supply a Mineral Salt Lick containing 10% Phosphorus, which is ideal for this purpose. This will address all three causes of Pica, allowing the cow to produce extra saliva, and in turn, counteract rumen acidosis at some level.

Having a target to turn cows into covers of 1,400 kg DM/ha will significantly decrease the risk of ruminal acidosis, often coupled with a long fibre offering at the feed barrier (baled silage, high-quality hay/straw).

Need help or advice?

For further information, please contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.

Silage harvesting is a major cost on Irish farms, therefore it is most important that the desired level of quality is achieved.

Dry Matter Digestibility (DMD) indicates the feeding value of a forage crop. In grass silage, it refers to the percentage of grass dry matter that an animal can digest to support their feed requirements. To make high DMD silage, the grass sward needs to contain a high leaf content. DMD is also linked to harvest date, with research showing that a crop harvested on June 2nd versus a harvest date of May 20^th, resulted in a DMD drop of as much as 5%.

Key considerations
Weather will be the main dictating factor with silage harvesting. However, during periods of broken weather, where a window of opportunity appears, avoid delaying harvest. Delaying first cut will cause a large drop in quality and reduce second cut yields significantly.

Grass sugars are the main consideration for crop preservation (Sugar being the food required for fermentation bacteria). The target for good preservation is 3%. Cutting time (early afternoon) and cutting conditions will have the greatest impact on sugar content in grass.

Grass nitrates can affect preservation by increasing buffering capacity. A grass crop will on average use up 2 units of N per day for first cut. Nonetheless, this is only a general rule and should not delay cutting date. Wilting silage to approximately ˃28% will help decrease nitrates.

Wilting is very beneficial to silage preservation where sugars are marginal and/or nitrates remain elevated. The aim should be to increase crop dry matter to 25-30% with pit silage and 30-35% with baled silage. Over wilting can cause issues when feeding out silage, such as heat loss/secondary fermentation.

Using a silage additive

The application of a proven silage additive, such as Agritech’s GrasZyme Sugarboost, at ensiling is a very important part of securing as much of the quality in the winter forage as possible – speeding up preservation and retaining more of the feed value within the pit, alongside less waste/losses.

From a total of 19 independent trials, GrasZyme Sugarboost has proven to deliver:

• + 1 litre of milk per cow per day and .09% milk protein increase
• + 110g daily live-weight gain in beef animals
• 1% reduction in dry matter losses

For further information, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.  

As we approach calving 2021 the focus should be on final preparations that will result in a spring free from any upsets, nutritional issues or metabolic diseases during an already busy time on farm.

Several key factors will correlate directly to the success of calving 2021, including:

• A planned and well executed dry cow mineral programme
• Calving down the cow in the correct body condition score
• Excellent husbandry in the weeks pre- and post-calving
• Careful transition diet planning

It is always worth remembering at this time in the year, that key decisions made over the next number of weeks will have a direct e­ffect on the performance of the herd, especially herd fertility – submission and conception rates, ultimately a­ffecting the longevity of the cow within the herd.

Negative Energy Balance

In the weeks post-calving, cows will produce more milk than their feed intake can provide for, resulting in Body Condition Score (BCS) loss due to Negative Energy Balance. Research has shown NEB will firstly, reduce milk protein and if prolonged, have detrimental consequences on the breeding season.

The milking cow should receive an adequate diet to optimise milk solids production and keep body weight loss to less than 0.5 BCS between calving and breeding. Cows that lose < 0.5 BCS over this time (approx. 25 kg) typically ovulate 15 days earlier than those cows that lose 1 BCS during this period.

Dry matter intake typically increases by 0.75 – 1.0 kg/week for the first 8 weeks of lactation, therefore being 8 weeks post-calving before maximum intake is reached – highlighting the need for an energy-dense transition diet.

Every farm scenario is different, and tailored advice should be given where issues arise. However, early preparation and planning is vital to avoid added stresses on farm

On farm support during COVID-19

In order to keep our customers and staff as safe as possible, our sales team and distributors we will be minimising the number of on farm consultations. We are however, as always, available for FREE delivery direct to farm and over the phone consultations. Contact your local Agritech sales rep/distributor to place your order or click here.  

With ever tightening profit margins, especially in the beef sector, the complex area of feed efficiency is and must continue to command close attention. In intensively fed animals there is a constant challenge to juggle the balance between optimising milk and meat output in the most economical way, while maintaining optimum rumen health at all times.

It is vital that the rumen environment is maintained in a healthy state to avoid the occurrence of acidosis. Acidosis occurs as a result of poor rumen health status and can present in two forms; clinical and sub clinical. The second form mostly presents as Sub Acute Rumen Acidosis (SARA). SARA is the main dietary performance constraint of intensively fed animals.

SARA has three principal causes: 

• High intakes of starches, sugars and acidic feeds.
• Inadequate structural fibre in diet.
• Inability of rumen to adapt to a highly fermentable / low fibre diet.

Identifying Sub-Acute Rumen Acidosis (SARA) in your herd

The tell-tale signs of SARA are sometimes difficult to detect through visual observation however, symptoms include:

• Animals performing 5-10% below capacity.
• Bubbles on dung.
• Less than 80% of animals which are lying down observed chewing the cud.
• Mildly depressed demeanour.
• Increased lameness levels.
• Cows swishing their tails (due to passing acidic manure).

Rumen Buffer Feeding

Maintaining good rumen health can be achieved through the inclusion of adequate roughage in the animals’ diet, such as straw and through the addition of a suitable rumen buffer. Straw can act as an excellent buffer but must be limited due to its low nutritive value and space requirement in the rumen. This year in particular, straw quality in many cases is not of adequate feed quality for livestock and is no longer a cheap option.

Feeding of an appropriate rumen buffer will play a valuable role on all farms where there are intensively fed animals or low fibre diets. A high-quality rumen buffer will not only help avoid problems like acidosis but it will also improve feed efficiency, optimise the rumen environment and maximise the return from your winter ration.

Rumicare– why it’s the best option

Rumicare is a phased release buffer and is available as Rumicare Beef and Rumicare Dairy. It contains a unique blend of buffers that each have their own mode of action and different speeds of breakdown (phased release) within the rumen. The combination of ingredients maintains a more desirable pH within the rumen at critical times throughout each 24-hour period.

Rumicare works on two different fronts in the fight against SARA. It directly neutralises rumen pH through its alkaline properties, while the added yeast also acts as a natural buffer by enhancing rumen bacterial growth. This combination of buffers and yeast has long been shown to gel very well together.

Speaking with farmers that have used Rumicare in the past, livestock are in great form, displaying improved appetites, performance and producing more consistent manures. Rumicare also smoothens transition diets with less setbacks and less displaced abomasums. Another added bonus is that it provides a very good level of calcium and magnesium, which is particularly important for the lactating dairy cow in early lactation.

On farm support during COVID-19

In order to keep our customers and staff as safe as possible, our sales team and distributors we will be minimising the number of on farm consultations. We are however, as always, available for FREE delivery direct to farm and over the phone consultations. Contact your local Agritech sales rep/distributor to place your order or click here. 

For further advice or information on our Welmin Mineral Supplements range, click here.

The Irish dairy cow is working harder now than ever before, with longer lactations and shorter dry periods. In contrast to much of the global dairy herd, the predominant typical Irish dairy cow consumes her dietary requirements primarily from grazed and conserved grass, meaning that less concentrate is fed during the lactation.

As grazed grass is generally low in minerals and trace elements, and with concentrate mixtures generally supplemented with some level of minerals, spring calving grass based dairy cows can become quite depleted of minerals by the end of their lactation. It is therefore vital that the dry cow is supplemented with a high quality mineral throughout the entire dry period. 

Following a dry cow management plan has proven very successful for Co. Westmeath farmer, Hugh Gaffney. Alongside his father, Mattie, Hugh is milking a herd of 120 British Friesian cows just outside Killucan, Co. Westmeath. The farm is run on a grass based, spring calving system, with bull and heifer calves later sold as stores.  

According to Hugh, giving close consideration to good nutrition, careful management, and the addition of a high quality dry cow mineral has played a vital role in improving health and immunity in both his cows and new born calves.       

VIDEO: TAKE A LOOK AT HUGH GAFFNEY’S DRY COW PROGRAMME:

Dry Cow Management Plan

How you feed and manage your herd during the dry cow period will influence subsequent yields and fertility, along with conditions which manifest post calving, such as milk fever, metritis, ketosis, and displaced abomasums. 

A key part of Hugh’s dry cow management plan is monitoring body condition score (BCS), and correcting where necessary before calving. Hugh’s dry cows are batched according to BCS and cubicles are maintained in a clean hygienic manner throughout the dry period. It is best practice to dry off cows at, or close to, the best BCS for calving (3.00 – 3.25). It is also critical to maintain this condition score throughout the dry period. 

Agritech recommend a silage quality target of at least 72DMD. In addition to receiving good quality forage and supplemental concentrate where necessary, Hugh’s cows are fed a minimum of 6kgs of Agritech’s Welmin™ Dry Cow Elite mineral before calving. This is viewed as critical in order to improve health and immunity and reduce the risk of metabolic disorders in his herd.  

Dry Cow Elite

Key macro minerals required by the dry cow include high availability magnesium and trace elements such as organic selenium, chelated and hydroxy copper and zinc. Welmin™ Dry Cow Elite goes further than other dry cow supplements in terms of bolstering the cow’s immune system ahead of the rigours of calving through the inclusion of supplemental B vitamins, ImmunoWall yeast, and high levels of key vitamins A, D3 and E. This complete package is crucial in order to increase health and immunity, minimise retained placenta levels, and aid the uterine involution (cleansing) process post calving.

Addressing the bioavailability challenge

Agritech’s Welmin™ Mineral Range has also been at the forefront in addressing the bioavailability challenge; a challenge which has led to secondary mineral deficiencies becoming more prominent in modern livestock operations. These deficiencies are a result of antagonists binding with key minerals in the rumen, ultimately causing them to pass through the animal unabsorbed.

It is now widely accepted that the inclusion of elements from multiple sources significantly enhances the absorption of each element. Agritech have embraced this superior approach as their mineral range includes copper, selenium, iodine and zinc from multiple sources to ensure optimum bioavailability of these key elements. 

Intellibond C is also included in many of Agritech’s mineral mixtures, which is a highly available source of copper. Intellibond C is not soluble at neutral rumen pH which results in a rumen by-pass trace element that gives increased trace mineral stability in the intestine. Copper from Intellibond C is released slowly over the full length of the small intestine, resulting in more efficient copper absorption and thereby improving overall intestinal health.

On farm support during COVID-19

In order to keep our customers and staff as safe as possible, our sales team and distributors we will be minimising the number of on farm consultations. We are however, as always, available for FREE delivery direct to farm and over the phone consultations. Contact your local Agritech sales rep/distributor to place your order or click here. 

For further advice or information on our Welmin Mineral Supplements range, click here

With ground conditions finally favourable and excellent grass growth levels, now is an ideal time to take the opportunity to reseed.

The never-ending debate always raises its head at this time of year as to ‘when is it too late to reseed?’. Although, the calendar acts as a guide to reseeding, it is not always the primary criteria and especially not this year.

At this stage, it is a matter of deciding between risk versus reward. If your plan is to reseed a certain percentage of the farm each year, it is important to stick to this plan and reseed now especially while ground temperatures are very good and there is excellent and almost unseasonable grass growth.

Making the decision to defer reseeding may only put additional pressure on next year. Autumn 2017 is a recent good example of this scenario as in that year, the weather was difficult, and many reseeding jobs were not completed. With a slow spring in 2018 and a drought hitting in early June, it meant that much of the ground not completed for reseeding in autumn 2017 had returned little in terms of new herbage by mid-summer.

Management Guide:
The objective of reseeding at this stage is to have the crop established before the winter sets in and to have the post emergent spray (if available) applied. In doing so, there are some important key factors that need to be taken into consideration:

Soil Fertility:
Reseeded pastures will not perform to their potential if soil fertility is not correct. To achieve maximum results, it is vital that the new reseed receives adequate levels of 10:10:20 and lime levels to balance pH requirements and kick start early growth.

Reseeding Method:
With a lot of ground burnt off beyond the recommended three weeks at this stage, some of the destroyed vegetation is now beginning to re-establish. It is therefore imperative that this ground is cultivated as soon as possible.

By now, it is becoming too late for reseeding methods such as minimal cultivation or direct drilling. Once you past the middle of September, ploughing or discing are the most reliable methods, as they create the best environment to facilitate germination.

Seeding Rate:
Increasing the seeding rate by 15-20% will maximise the rate of success and compensate for lower ground temperatures and growth levels at this time of year.

Clover inclusion is also essential when reseeding, with current research indicating that 1kg of clover is typically recouped with one month of clover growth. Rather than leaving clover out, we recommend increasing the level in the hope of achieving a better strike rate.

At Agritech, we have long recognised the importance of including optimal levels of clover in our grass seed mixtures. Our Tipperary Grass Seed mixtures are also treated with a biological seed stimulant called, GroQuik®, to ensure maximum germination and a stronger well rooted plant, even in more difficult growing conditions. The application of GroQuik® is especially beneficial to clover establishment as it has a more extensive and complicated root structure.

Post Management:
Watch out for the three most significant pests of reseeds, frit fly, leatherjackets and slugs which are particularly problematic in the autumn.

For further advice or to find out more about our 2020 Tipperary Grass Seed mixtures, contact your local Agritech sales representative or distributor. 

Silage fields that have not been grazed or that were closed up before the end of March are already at or maybe even slightly beyond optimum quality. The question is ‘do I cut or do I wait?’

To answer the ‘cut or wait’ question, the key factors of quality silage must be taken into consideration. The first and most important factor is cutting date. The second one is the weather conditions. Thirdly, the application of a quality silage additive, and finally, having ticked off all of the above boxes, the silage clamp must be covered and sealed properly.

According to Agritech’s Sales Director, John Kenny, “deferring the cutting date too far may result in additional and unnecessary expense for farmers.”

“Farmers currently have excellent quality material for harvesting and it is a huge pity to let the current fine spell of weather pass without harvesting silage and possibly end up making lower DMD silage in poorer conditions later in the month.    

“I am also concerned that when this spell of dry weather passes, there will be a surge of growth that will also draw more nitrogen up into the plant. This material when harvested, will bring its own issues with regards to fermentation and the making of a palatable feed for livestock”, says John.

With lengthy dry cow periods no longer in existence, quality silage is an essential requirement for the spring calving cow in late lactation and again when freshly calved, as it will help support early lactation body condition, milk yield and to allow the cow to return to cyclicity as quickly as possible.  

For beef cattle, a daily live-weight gain of 0.6 kg is considered the optimum for winter performance where the animals are returning to grass in the spring. Quality silage will again play a key role in achieving this growth level.

Ensiling Process – Key to quality

 “The application of a proven silage additive at ensiling is a very important part of securing as much of the quality in the winter forage as possible. It speeds up the preservation and retains more of the feed value within the pit, in addition to retaining more actual silage in the pit”, says John.

Agritech’s GrasZyme Sugarboost Forage Additive has long proven itself as an effective silage preservation aid. The unique technology used in the additive has been scientifically proven to reduce unnecessary plant breakdown and ensure reliability even in difficult low-sugar conditions.

GrasZyme Sugarboost is independently proven to deliver on key silage additive criteria, namely improved animal performance and reduced dry matter losses.

A total of 19 independent trials have been shown to deliver:

• + 1 litre of milk per cow per day and .09% milk protein increase
• + 110g daily live-weight gain in beef animals
• 6.1% reduction in dry matter losses

The reduction in dry matter losses alone will cover the cost of purchasing the silage additive, with the extra animal performance coming for free.

John concludes, “With farm margins ever reducing, it is no longer economical to use purchased concentrates to offset poorer quality silage. Farmers must now take the opportunity to make the most efficient use possible of homegrown forage and especially grazed grass and grass silage.”

Get in touch

All Agritech sales representatives and distributors are trained to assist farmers in getting the most from their silage. Assistance is available with choosing the best grass mixture, right up to the point of harvest and the use of a quality silage additive.

To find out more about, GrasZyme Sugarboost, click here

To find your local Agritech sales representative/distributor, click here