Herd Tasks: Your weekly farming checklist
Good To Soil Underperforming Is Paddocks The Autumn Time Test A
- Keep stock in good volumes of grass and ensure that you graze paddocks out well where weather conditions allow to help sward quality next spring.
- Dry Matters are low at present, so higher-performing animals will need supplementation to balance their good graze-out and maintain animal performance.
- House stock while they are performing well in order to reduce stress due to a sudden change in diet and environment.
- Soil test underperforming paddocks and aim to apply lime where it is required before next season. Identifying these paddocks given the year we have had should be easy!
- Do any last-minute repairs to sheds before housing.
- Remain patient if you have maize silage to cut - it is advancing, but it just needs time.
- Make sure that fresh calvers have access to magnesium licks at grass.
- Monitor fresh cows for metritis ahead of breeding.
- Young calves/weanlings on grass will not be thriving well unless they are being fed meal or are getting a fresh pick of grass regularly.
- Consider housing them if feeding them meal outdoors is hard to do.
- Many youngstock are overdue dosing as I have seen a lot of groups doing a lot of coughing lately. If stock are to remain out for a few weeks more you really should dose them ASAP, rather than waiting until they are indoors.
- Poorer intakes of wet grass coupled with a parasite burden will result in animals being in poor order for housing.
- Get steer and heifer finishers indoors now if you want them fit before Christmas. It will take some time for them to settle inside and get up to their full finishing diet.
