The Importance of Grass Budgeting on Irish Farms Donal Patton - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Donal Patton

Teagasc, Dairy Production Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork Teagasc Ballyhaise Agricultural College, Co. Cavan .

The Importance of Grass Budgeting on Irish Farms

IGA 2015

Presentation outline

• Maintaining resilient grass based systems post

quota.

• What is a grass budget?
• Why improving grass budgeting skills is

beneficial.

• How to use and adapt your budget.

Pasture grown, t t Concentrate DM/cow 10 12 14 16 0.00 1.5 2.0 2.3 2.6 0.25 1.7 2.1 2.4 2.8 0.50 1.8 2.2 2.5 3.0 0.75 1.9 2.3 2.7 3.1

Resilient Grass-based Dairy Systems

• SR matched to grass growth over a long grazing season
• Increased grass production and utilisation essential (16 & 13 t DM /ha)
• Importance of grass supply/demand management will become more important

as stocking rates increase on farms

• National statistics
• Average grazing season length of 223 days (Lapple et al., 2012)
• Grass availability limits extended grazing (Creighton et al., 2011)
• Feed supplementation at grazing is inefficient (Ramsbottom et al., 2015)

Managing Supply and Demand

• Learning how to manage supply and demand is a

skill set developed over time.

• The first step is learning how to accurately measure

grass available.

• Regular measurement will allow you to build up a

picture of the growth potential of your farm at particular times of the year.

• Using this information we can set out target covers

for each week.

• For farmers who are comfortable with measurement

budgeting is the next logical step.

• Among those measuring number who are using a

grass budget is small.

Grass is a perishable feed

• Below 1200 kg DM / ha
• restricts growth
• Restricts intake
• 1200 – 1500kg DM / ha
• Max growth
• Max intake
• Max utilisation
• Above 1500 Kg DM / ha
• Restricts growth
• Restricts intake
• Restricts utilisation

Variation in Grass Growth

Grass growth is more variable on marginal soils

2012 Growth (11 tons / ha)

2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 18000 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 Wet Silage Grazing

2014 Growth (15.7 tons / ha) 2013 Growth (13 tons / ha)

Grass Budgeting is Critical on Irish Dairy Farms

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

k gD M /H e c t a r ed a i l y

Daily pasture growth rate Daily herd feed requirement

• The grass budget is the most important grazing technology

reduce milk production costs by €100/cow/yr (2 cent/litre)

• In the absence of grass budgeting increases in stocking rate will reduce

grazing season length and grass proportion in the diet resulting in increased variable and fixed costs of production

Feed Budgeting – achieving seasonal targets

300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 15-Aug 25-Aug 4-Sep 14-Sep 24-Sep 4-Oct 14-Oct 24-Oct 3-Nov 13-Nov 23-Nov 3-Dec 13-Dec 23-Dec 2-Jan 12-Jan 22-Jan 1-Feb 11-Feb 21-Feb 3-Mar 13-Mar 23-Mar 2-Apr 12-Apr Average Farm Cover (kg DM/ha)

Ballyhaise Feed Budget2014/2015

Target cover Actual cover

• A grass budget is a plan for grass supply based on expected growth

and animal requirements during the ‘feed expensive months’

• Used to rapidly react when AFC deviates from target levels

Peak Oct 1st: 1,150 kg DM/ha Housing Nov 15th 650 kg DM/ha Turnout Feb 10th 825 kg DM/ha Magic day April 5th: 500 kg DM/ha

Benefits of Feed Budget

• Timely response to surpluses and deficits.
• Medium term planning – course of action for next week.
• Long term planning – especially when expanding.
• Helps to identify problem areas – early spring.
• A very useful way of communicating with staff.
• Reduced feed costs.

= Preferentially managed Wetland

• Building high covers is too risky on wet areas
• Location of feed is important.
• Not included in first rotation – does not grow
• Growth is more variable

Adapting Feed Budget

• 1. Budgeting is more complex with wet soils
• 2. Building AFC to extend the grazing season

must occur on drier soils within the farm

• 3. Winter growth may be 0 kg DM/ha/day!
• Building in excess of 1150kg DM / ha will result

in very heavy covers (2800 kg DM / ha)

• Target closing cover essential

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Average Farm Cover (kg DM/ha)

Opening cover Closing cover

Ballyhaise Closing and Opening AFC

• Average overwinter growth is 1.5 kg DM / ha per day
• Closing on the 5th of October is too late (25th of September)
• 70% grazed by 1st of November
• Minimal winter growth in 2 of the last 5 years
• Essential to carry some high pre-grazing herbage into winter
• Target AFC 600kg – 650kg DM/ha at closing

• Carrying high pre-grazing masses through winter is essential to

meet feed budget targets and rarely results in sward decay

• Important that these were well grazed out in previous rotations
• Requires careful management in Spring – allocation, on / off

grazing.

Heavy Pre-grazing Herbage Masses on Wetter Soils

• 200

200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Pregrazing HerbageMass(kg DM/ha)

Winter growth (+/-) Closing winter premass

Feed Budgets at Ballyhaise

Lower target farm covers compared to Moorepark soils

• Peak of 1150kg DM/ha on October 1st
• Peak grazing covers on drier area during autumn
• Wetter areas preferentially grazed to maximise grass utilisation

Variable autumn/winter/spring grass growth rates require greater discipline to achieve target covers

• Commence building cover from August 1st and last rotation from Sept 25th
• Closing cover of >600kg DM/ha in mid-Nov
• Opening cover of >800kg DM/ha on Feb 10th
• End of Rotation 1 on April 7th to 10th at AFC of 500kg DM/ha

Conclusion

• Grass is a perishable feed with irregular supply.
• Budgeting is essential to maintain low cost systems (€100/cow

less feed costs!)

• The budget is the most important decision making tool for 6

months of the year.

• It will help you make timely decisions and avoid severe feed

shortages.

• You can alter and adapt the budget to suit your farm / system.