Thanks to altogether more pleasant conditions this Spring, farmers have enjoyed a welcome respite from the poor weather they worked through during the previous two years.

With cattle out earlier and, just as importantly, remaining out to graze in healthily growing paddocks, refilling forage reserves has not weighed on farmers’ minds nearly as heavily as it did during the first halves of 2023 and ’24.

Of course, when casting an eye five to six months down the line, refilling pits remains a significant consideration. But the better weather experienced in recent months means that farmers are in a better position to build up a reserve of high-quality silage with those (literally) cold and rainy days in mind.

As Teagasc has noted, grass digestibility decreases by 2 to 3% units per week from mid-May onwards. This is due to the increasing levels of stem in grass as the crop matures in addition to the accelerated decline in stem digestibility.

High quality silage permits flexibility in feed plans for both milkers and dry stock/dry cows. Earlier cutting, which recent conditions have facilitated, also permit quicker and earlier regrowths for subsequent cuts, which in turn leads to increased annual yield per hectare. The mean DMD of Irish silages comes in at approximately 69% DMD – which is well below the requirements of a lactating dairy cow.

The effects of silage DMD on dairy cow performance 

At one point, every farm will have 80% DMD grass available to them in the field; however the decision is typically made too late regarding cutting date. Once seed heads appear by late May, DMD will be, at most, approximately 70% at, before declining by 1% DMD every two to three days after that. Each 1% increase achieved equates to a +0.33kg daily milk yield increase.

Farmers should also be aiming for a dry matter content of approximately 25%. Where wilting continues for long periods, grass quality will deteriorate, leading to significant energy losses. In ideal conditions, this will be achieved in a 24-hour wilt.

The use of a silage additive has long been proven to improve fermentation and lend to less waste/losses. Agritech’s GrasZyme Sugarboost is proven to: Increase ADG by 110g/head/day in beef situations and in dairy scenarios; Increase Dry Matter intakes by 0.4 kg/head/day, resulting in milk protein percentage increases of 0.09%. Fermentation losses are also reduced by an average of 6.1% where an additive is used (equating to 30t additional feed, in a 500t pit).

For further advice, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor.

As spring looms ever closer, we fast approach the influx of the next generation of calves on farm. Replacement heifers born over the next few weeks will calve down in February 2027, become the herds mature stalwart cows of 2030 and the influence we can have on the beginning of their lives will long be felt regarding longevity, milk production, and overall herd health.

Year on year we will discuss, read and write about 3-2-1 rules and how important colostrum management is. Yet conversations still arise around how best to avoid scour outbreaks in sheds, anti-scour remedies etc., and as we face into another spring a back-to-basics approach should be taken with colostrum.

Get the basics right

Its important to remember that the calf’s first opportunity for infection is via its navel or mouth – and its first contact from both will happen in the calving pen. Cows’ underbelly, teats and calving pen bedding become the first source of possible infection for a new-born calf. Hence the importance of good dry cow cubicle management. Prolonged time spent in calving areas are often a key issue with disease transfer in herds, especially where unhygienic conditions as also a factor. From here, all feed equipment must be disinfected before colostrum is collected and fed. Dirt contamination of colostrum is now known to have a negative effect on passive transfer and therefore cleanliness of the collection process is vital.

Storage is also imperative – it is an all-too-common sight to see open buckets of colostrum in the parlour/dairy – and where ambient conditions arise, bacterial counts can double every 20 minutes. A dam-to-calf systems is obviously the ideal, however during extremely compact calving periods this can sometimes be difficult to obtain. Colostrum quality will vary massively between cows depending on age/parity, volume produced, dry period length, and dry cow nutrition, etc.  If we can avoid pooling and use a 1-cow to 1-calf option. At the very least where pooling occurs colostrum must be Brix tested to avoid dilution happening with poor quality colostrum.

Vaccination of the dam is also a key consideration to help reduce risks around calf health. However, it is worth noting, that passive transfer from a vaccine only occurs from dam-calf via colostrum and transition milk, so all of the above applies to get full coverage from vaccinating the herd.

Research has shown where passive transfer is 100% successful mortality rates of <5% is achievable, in stark contrast where passive transfer rates of 85-90% is achieved, mortality rates can increase to ~ 8%.
Treat colostrum management with the respect and attention it deserves.