DairyCo

Forage for knowledge update 6 May

Published 6 May 11

The continued dry period is having a significant effect on growth rates as the grass plant is struggling to reach moisture.  This is slowing dairy growth rates daily, which, in some cases are dropping to 40kg/DM/Ha/day - considerably less than would be expected normally.

To protect the grass we have, and potential future growth, we need to look after the plant as best we can now. To do this we need to slow the round down so that cows are not entering grass before it has reached the third leaf stage.  There are two main reasons for this; the first is that the first leaf is the smallest, the second bigger and the third the largest, so if we graze before the third leaf we reduce yield and compound the problem of reducing supplies and growth. Secondly if we graze below two leaves we seriously impact on the plant's ability to recover from grazing and in effect reduce its rigour and encourage its decline in dry conditions.

If we do not let the plant recover to three leaves and chase grass we graze too early we will slow the recovery and very soon have eaten in to the wedge - which makes the whole grazing area like a bowling green with no feed.  Subsequently it will take a lot longer to recover when it does rain.

On a Gloucestershire farm the other day that has had no rain since early March, a paddock we walked had grown just one leaf since grazing ten days ago, so on that reckoning it will be another twenty days before the third leaf is up and ready. So, the round on this farm should be a minimum of 30 days, potentially, if the dry conditions continue and growth slows more it may get to 40.

Being optimistic if we do get the rain predicted keep watching that growth rate as the grass will accelerate very quickly. The answer is in the plant, count the leaves.  For some it may be worth investigating other forms of cover in case we do not get the rain we need.

See Piers explaining how the grass plant grows here.