A wet winter means management decisions on forage and herd health will be key to get more from grass this spring begins.
Mild soil temperatures have kept grass growing but persistent rainfall continues to limit field access. It means many farms now carry heavy swards. But much grass lacks the quality to drive milk from forage.
Silage season
The next few weeks will shape outcomes later, says Mel Digger, forage product manager for ForFarmers. Grass now is likely to be stemmier and lower in quality – and savvy producers will aim to reset swards ahead of the main silage season.
“Taking a pre-first cut could be one of the best decisions you make this spring,” says Ms Digger. “By removing that bulk, you reset the sward and allow fresh, leafy regrowth to come through for your true first cut.
“Farmers might sacrifice a bit of yield from their first cut, but what they’ll gain is a significantly higher quality silage, with higher digestibility, better energy, and ultimately more milk from forage.”
This extra cut could be especially useful by extending remaining clamp supplies on farms where there is a forage gap. But variable grass quality makes preserving its feed value vital.
Quality diet
“Inoculants don’t turn poor grass into perfect silage,” says Ms Digger. “But they absolutely help preserve what feed value is there. We recommend using inoculants on all grass silage.”
Silage inoculants can help increase milk yield by up to 1.5 litres per cow per day. The same mild, wet conditions have increased animal health risks. That raises the risk of grass staggers – which will impact on milk yields, says Ms Digger.
Rumenco technical services manager Alison Bond says the best strategy is routine supplementary magnesium. Once symptoms are evident, even in a few cattle, a lot of damage will already have been done.”
Spring grass typically supplies only half the magnesium a lactating cow needs. That gap may widen after a wet winter. Sub-clinical deficiency can reduce intake and milk yield before farmers realise.
Careful turnout
Colin Byrne, ruminant technical and deployment manager at Lallemand Animal Nutrition, says farmers must manage the transition from winter diets after turnout carefully.
“With milk prices where they are, farmers are understandably looking to make the most of lower-cost feeds like grass. But the move from winter diets to grazing can cause rapid changes in the rumen environment if it isn’t managed properly.”
“Rumen pH is everything,” adds Dr Byrne. Fresh grass ferments quickly. That can depress rumen pH and reduce performance if cows do not adapt. Taken together, these pressures point to a more management-led spring. Farmers must balance forage quality, animal health and cost. Those who get the transition right will protect output.