Pasturebase Ireland Lessons for Spring grazing

management

Dr. Michael O Donovan

Teagasc Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork

http://www.agresearch.teagasc.ie/moorepark Michael.odonovan@teagasc.ie

• Pasturebase Ireland results

• Factors affecting spring grass supply

• Grazing management principles and

impacts

• Spring Nitrogen & spring grass milk

production value

Talk Outline

Grassland Challenge – Improve

Production and utilisation

• 1t/ha increase in grass utilisation is worth €10,000-12,000 to a 40ha farm

• Web based grassland management decision support tool

– Front end

• Grassland data base – back end

• Data capture by farmer

• Core measurement is pre-grazing herbage mass / farm

cover

• Data source for other projects

PastureBase Ireland

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

27-Jan

27-Feb

27-M

ar

27-A

pr

27-M

ay

27-Ju

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27-Ju

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27-A

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27-N

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Kg

DM

/day

2015 2014 2013

14.0 – 13.8 - 12.2 t DM/ha

10185

11350

11928

11523

13396

13953

2083

2522

2189

2397

3122

2315

0 3000 6000 9000 12000 15000 18000

Year 2013

Year 2014

Year 2015

Top 20 Farms 2013

Top 20 Farms 2014

Top 20 Farms 2015

Grazing DM Silage DM

Pasture Base Ireland Dairy Farms DM Production

• High Soil fertility – Index 3, pH >6.0

• Routine measurement and proactive

management

• Low variation between highest and lowest

paddocks

• Spring grazing

• More grazings per farm

• Reseeding part of management

What are high producing farms doing ?

12.3

15.9

17.1

16.7

14.4 14.1

13.4

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15.1

14.9

15.1

17.5 13.7

16.4

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11.6

16.9 16.3

13.0

15.4 10.8

13.7 13.7

13.9 18.1

13.3

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12.0

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11.2 13.1

15.7

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16.8

15.2

18.8

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14.9

12.4

12.1

10.5 11.2

10.4

12.7

10.6 11.1

11.8

13.6

15.9

• Autumn closing date - farmer

• Closing cover - farmer

• Winter grass growth rate - 50% farmer

• Spring nitrogen application- farmer

• Spring grazing management – farmer

• Spring grass growth - 50% farmer

Factors Influencing Spring Grass supply

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Kg

DM

/ha

02-Oct 10-Oct 23-Oct 06-Nov 23-Nov

Every Week delay in closing from October 2nd reduces Spring grass supply by 77kg DM/ha

Spring Pasture Accumulation as influenced

by previous Autumn closing date

913 985

1044

910

734 750

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01

/09

/201

5

08

/09

/201

5

15

/09

/201

5

22

/09

/201

5

29

/09

/201

5

06

/10

/201

5

13

/10

/201

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20

/10

/201

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27

/10

/201

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03

/11

/201

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/11

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5

17

/11

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24

/11

/201

5

Max Average Min

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) profile from Autumn

2015 to Closing

Spring9%

Summer55%

Autumn36%

Spring growth Variation is 5% to 14% - 0.5t DM/ha to 1.8t

DM/ha

DM Production Proportion by Season

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400

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Farm 9

Farm 1

3

Farm 1

8

Farm 1

5

Farm 1

7

Farm 1

9

Farm 8

Farm 1

6

Farm 4

Farm 3

Farm 1

0

Farm 1

4

Farm 1

Farm 6

Farm 7

Farm 1

1

Farm 1

2

Farm 5

Farm 2

K

g

D

M

/

h

a

Spring Grass Production on Farms 2015

75% of cows calved

Farm cover >800kg DM/ha

Area grazed March 2 (21%) (8 - 46%) (>30%)

Cows allocated 10kg DM – 3kg concentrates

Nitrogen 30 units spread (0 - 60 units/ac) (60)

Slurry 22% of area (0 - 60%) (50%)

Spring Grazing Management - March 2015

Period 1 (Early; 25th Feb- 9th Mar) Period 2 (Late; 19th Mar – 30th Mar)

Treatment Early Mid Late Early Mid Late

Closing date 1st Oct 15th Oct 1st Nov 1st Oct 15th Oct 1st Nov

Days closed 156 142 125 177 163 146

Pre Yield

(kg DM/ha) 2364 1647 1070 2977 2263 831

DMD (g/kg) 800.1 801.6 804.7 768.6 813.5 795.6

Delaying Grazing in Spring - Digestibility effects (Garry et al. 2015)

• Early closed paddocks need to be grazed by mid March

Late grazed sward

Early grazed sward

Early grazed sward

Early Grazing Effects on Sward Characteristics

+ Milk solids

+Grass Growth

+Grass Quality

- Low utilisation

Spring production and its association with

total grazing DM production

y = 5.8342x + 4666.4R² = 0.668

0

2000

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500 700 900 1100 1300 1500 1700 1900

K

G

D

M

/

h

a

Spring kg DM/ha

y = 1385.9x + 1811.2

R² = 0.7302

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K

g

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Number of grazings

Number of grazing achieved and its

association with total grazing DM production

• Immediately after the closed period for fertilizer and slurry application

• Apply 2,500 gals. slurry/ac. to 30% of paddocks (<650 kg DM/ha herbage mass)

• Apply 23 units urea/ ac. to remainder (Urea= 30% cheaper than alternatives/kg N)

• In early March

• Apply 2,500 gals. slurry/ac. to 30% of paddocks

• Apply 40 units urea/ ac. to remainder

• 70-80 units N applied by April 1st

• Weather forecasts to avoid heavy rain and waterlogged soils within 48 hours of nutrient

application to minimise losses and maximise benefits.

• Spring Nitrogen (N) application is essential to boost growth on all paddocks

Average Grass Growth Response of 10 kg DM per 1 kg N applied per ha in Spring

Efficiency of slurry utilisation increased (x6) during February & March

Fertiliser Recommendations – February/March

Indoors Outdoors

Milk yield (kg) 27.3 28.3

Milk fat conc. (%) 4.16 3.86

Milk protein conc. (%) 3.07 3.36

Milk fat yield (g/day) 1124 1094

Milk protein yield (g/day) 832 949

Milk solids yield (kg/day) 1.97 2.04

Spring Grass - Milk Production Effects (Kennedy et al. 2004)

Potential exists to grow more grass -

improvements in grazing management

Framework – 2016 – is different

High spring covers – spring rotation targets

Set farms up for the year – third grazing early May

Wet weather management plan – on/off grazing,

multiple access points, flexible attitude

Spring grass is a crucial feed for the lactating cow

Take home messages

Let 2016 be the Year to use

grass better

Questions ?