Grass Watch: Warm winter leads to good grass growth across UK

A mild winter means many farms across the country are seeing more grass than normal, making its management vital this spring.

Farmers Weekly kicks off the 2017 Grass Watch series, which will see six farms across the country report on their grass production  

See also: Read more from last year’s Grass Watch series

Richard Fryer, Northwich, Cheshire

• Land 97ha 
• Stock 230 Friesian cows plus 120 youngstock
• Altitude 40m
• Calving Autumn block calving. Mainly grass based

It is always nice getting out of the farmyard to do the first grass walk of the season. Measuring grass is one of the most important jobs on our farm and an enjoyable one too. 

Average farm cover is just over 100 kg/ha DM down on the same point last year, a result of a higher stocking rate and perfect grazing conditions last autumn. 

We always aim to get the cows out about mid-February, grazing some lower covers first as the cows get used to grazing again.

It is also important to turn them out with an edge to their appetite so they eat the grass and not just lie down on it.

Hopefully, we will soon get some slurry on the silage block and apply 40kg/ha of N to the grazing block.

Stocking rate on grazing platform (cows a ha)	4.4
Average farm cover (kg/ha DM)	2,123
Yield (litres a cow a day)	24
Fat (%)	4.6
Protein (%)	3.5
Milk solids (kg a cow)	1.9
Supplements fed (kg a cow a day)	6.5
Average rainfall (mm/day)	3 this week
Land type	Medium

Ben Richards, Helston, Cornwall 

• Land 146ha
• Stock 280 Jersey-cross Friesians
• Altitude 110m above sea level
• Calving Spring-calving

I dried off the herd on 22 November, with heavy rain finishing the season a week earlier than expected.

Looking at the farm, I am pleased I made that decision. A very kind winter has seen growth rates of 12kgs/ha/day. I now have covers of 2,900kg/ha DM and an average farm cover of 2,750kg/ha DM.

The herd wintered very well and are in good condition for calving.

Heavy culling last year (80 head) took out the bottom 25% leaving me with a cracking herd to milk this year – 74 heifers will take the herd back to 265 for the season.

Simplification of my system combined with the improvement of the herd should have seen me looking forward to a year of recouping some of the money from last year.

However, my milk buyer has put paid to this by putting a 40% seasonality deduction in May and 30% in June. Best get some autumn calvers then.

Sam Chesney, Kircubbin, Northern Ireland 

• Stock 150 Limousin sucklers
• Altitude 30m above sea level

Grazing started here on 14 January with some steers grazing in a nice sheltered field and bulling heifers on a crop of good stubble turnips, which were drilled into a grass sward due to be reseeded.

However, at the start of this month, it rained solidly for seven days resulting in the bulling heifers being rehoused.

Farming by calendar dates doesn’t work.

Half the grazing block got 23 units of urea and the rest will follow shortly.

Grass measurements will be taken soon, but I estimate cover to be in the order of 2,700kg.

I am going to be one of the beef grass check farmers along with numerous all over Northern Ireland, so our grass information will be available to all.

I am looking forward to playing with my new GPS platemeter and really trying to push grass here in County Down.

We are in a nitrate vulnerable zone, which is a shame as with all the dry weather we have over the past six months would have been better applying slurry in a more strategic rather than now lashing on (as they say here). 

Robert Craig, Cumbria

 

• Land Total 210ha
• Stock 430 New Zealand/Kiwi-cross cows
• Altitude Ranges from 160-210m above sea level
• Calving Spring calving  

Receiving less than half of the rain we received last winter the farm looks in good shape to start the 2017 grazing season.

Highest covers peaking at almost 3,000kg/ha DM with the average more than 200kg DM above last year should enable grazing to start about the middle of February as calving begins in earnest.

After a very short period fully housed around half of the yearling heifers will be grazing the more distant paddocks less accessible to the milking herd by the end of February.

Soils are cold yet at 2-3C so there’s little panic to rush out with any nitrogen, although on the more suitable areas we’ve been spreading slurry and dirty water – which will continue as we follow the cows once grazing has begun.

In the run up to calving, attention has turned to track maintenance on both farms: more concrete sleepers are going down at Dolphenby and a further 1km of artificial grass covering the more challenging stretches at Cairnhead, proving an excellent low-cost solution towards the end of last year which has prompted us to finish the job.  

Stocking rate on grazing platform (cows a ha)	3.41
Growth rate on platform (kg/day DM)	4.4 (overwinter)
Average farm cover (kg/ha DM)	2,193 (6-2-17)
Yield (litres a cow a day)	10
Fat (%)	5.09
Protein (%)	3.68
Milk solids (kg a cow)	.9
Supplements fed (kg a cow a day)	3
Average rainfall (mm/day)	9mm on 13 February, 98mm average for February 2016
Land type	Free-draining sandy loam

Mike Miller, Blandford, Dorset

• Land: 106ha
• Stock 420 NZ Suffolk-cross Mules and 100 NZ Romney ewes
• Altitude 100m above sea level

I have never seen our grass in such good shape in February.

An exceptionally dry, mild winter has meant generally waterlogged soils are still relatively active, with clover still visible in many swards.

The dry time made a late application of farmyard manure followed by the harrows possible providing an extra bite for the outwintered ewes.

Lambing fields are having a two-month rest period before a nitrogen dressing when soil temperatures consistently rise above 5C.

They have been steady at about 4.5C for the past few weeks.

They have been steady at about 4.5C for the past few weeks.

In-lamb ewes are block grazing the main crop swedes and some forage rape

Ewes a hectare	1.1 LU
Growth rate (kg/ha DM)	5
Average farm cover (kg DM/ha)	1,580
Land type	Heavy clay
Average rainfall (mm/day)

Alice Muir, farm manager Buccleuch Estates, Scottish Borders

• Land Langholm Farms: 7,085ha, mainly heather hill with 400ha of permanent grassland; 80m-404m
• Stock: 1,560 Blackface Ewes, 1,100 Scottish Country Cheviot ewes, 900 Greyface/Aberfield ewes and 50 Galloway Cows
• Altitude 80-404m

Our Greyface ewes at Mouldyhills have been housed for five weeks now. They are in good condition and scanned at 191%(-4% on the year).

Last year we started a small rotation on Mouldyhills having followed the Sainsbury’s grazing trial at Bowhill. This month we are planning and reflecting on that for this coming season.

This year we plan to expand the rotation from 25ha to 85ha.

Through attending the QMS grazing meetings, I feel we need to increase stock/ha, decrease paddock size (from 5ha – as small as we can) and reduce the length of time in each paddock.

On reflection, we stocked too lightly at the start and found we had to increase our ewe numbers from 210 lactating ewes (1.85 lambs a ewe) and then again to 380 ewes and 100 ewe hoggs while taking 6.7 ha of silage.

This has shown as it has elsewhere how we underestimate our grass and how our permanent leys can produce more if managed under rotation.

Cows or ewes a hectare	Ewes housed
Growth rate (kg/ha DM)	Estimated at 2 as it has been mild and warmer than normal
Average farm cover (kg/ha of DM)	1,200-1,400
Land type	Upland – peat/clay
Average rainfall (mm/day)	3.3