Gippsland - How Now Gippy Now - September 2010 Edition
Reminders for September
Pastures/forages
|
Ryegrass leaf appearance rate |
8 to 12 days per leaf |
|
Estimated grazing rotation length |
25 to 35 days (but will reduce by early October) |
|
Area of farm to graze today |
One 1/25th to 1/35th of grazing area in 24 hours |
|
Recommended pre grazing decisions |
Check that the ‘next best feed’ (the feed that is about to be offered to the herd) is at the growth stage that you are targeting. For most of the year this will be between the two or three leaf stage – but in spring (ryegrass reproductive phase) or during wet conditions, the targets may change |
|
Recommended post grazing decision |
Aim to graze down to 4 to 6 cm pasture height between clumps. If grazing lower than this then more supplement may be required |
|
Estimated soil temperature |
11 degrees Celsius |
|
Estimated daily evaporation |
3 to 5 mm per day without rainfall |
|
Average daily pasture growth rate |
35 to 60 kg DM/ha/day |
- Assess the risks and options for a short or dry spring;
- Consider the value of applying nitrogen fertiliser or a nitrogen blend to boost your silage and hay yields; and
- Plan your summer fodder cropping program to take advantage of spring soil moisture.
Cows
- Ensure milking cows are well fed at all times during the year, do not reduce cow intake in an effort to gain extra silage harvest;
- Feeding the cows well from calving will enable them to cycle earlier in preparation for the planned start of joining;
- Record details of any non-cycling cows and have a plan for how to deal with them. Don’t wait for the end of the mating period; and
- To avoid problems with lameness, add mulch or wood chips to muddy tracks and yard entrances.
Calves
- Calves can be weaned when they are eating 1 kg per day of pellets for two or three consecutive days. This usually occurs by about six to eight weeks of age;
- Weaned calves should weigh at least 75 kg for Jerseys and 100 kg for Friesians, at two to three months of age and be seen to be ruminating (chewing cud); and
- Provided calves are eating 1 kg/day of pellets and a fibre source for rumen function, milk feeding does not have to be reduced gradually.
Irrigation
- Early irrigation is critical to set up the spring growth and tillering in the ryegrass plants;
- Start to consider water budgets which will be adjusted as allocations change; and
- Aim to have the re-use dam empty at the start and finish of irrigation to allow the capture of irrigation run-off or harvest rainfall events.
Soil testing
- With a limited budget, soil testing is still critical in making the best fertiliser decisions under the current circumstances. Spring is the ideal time to soil test your paddocks; and
- Contact your local fertiliser representative for a soil sampling kit.
Environment
- Watch out for weed growth and keep on top of the problem by spraying annual weeds to avoid seed set; and
- Time fertiliser applications to avoid run-off. Do not apply to saturated soils or spreading before a forecasted significant rainfall event. Use the seven day weather forecasts to check for rainfall prior to fertiliser spreading.
Forward planning for summer
- If summer fodder crops are a key part of your pasture renovation or forage planning for the summer period, be prepared with a plan for what you will sow, when you will sow and the rates you will sow. When will you need the extra feed? Many crops require 10-14 weeks to mature. You may have to modify the plan if conditions are wetter or drier than you require. Be flexible and have a back up plan ready to put into practice (if this is likely to give a better result); and
- Cool season species (e.g. brassicas) may benefit from early spring sowing while moisture and temperature are most favourable for growth. Sown at this time, they will provide feed in early to mid summer and high yields are more reliable.
