A severe pasture deficit will only be filled by strong pasture growth when conditions improve, and by managing pastures very well.
No two spring calving seasons are the same, so respond to the situation in front of you. Focus on matching feed supply to demand as best you can, but that’s not always straightforward. A strong focus on pasture management can minimise the impact on this season’s cashflow and herd mating performance
Improving pasture growth
- Use supplements and a long rotation length to improve pasture growth.
- Use the Spring Rotation Planner to increase, hold or control the rate of decline in pasture cover.
- Manage any available pasture accurately to add the best value to the situation in the long term. Grow your way out of trouble.
- Later in the calving period, as balance day approaches (when pasture eaten = pasture growth) stay on at least 25 days. Rotations faster than this grow less grass and mean a longer time spent in pasture deficit.
- Supplementary feeds could help but should not be the focus. They are expensive and in short supply. Flexibility is required, a heavy reliance on supplements could take you down a risky path towards higher costs and lower cash flow. Check out the supplement price calculator.
- Using nitrogen fertiliser and gibberellic acid will promote pasture growth more cost effectively than supplement. They also need a long rotation to allow their value to come through. Read more about the tactical use of nitrogen fertiliser and gibberellic acid.
- Once a day milking could be considered and may add more value for money than buying feed and be financially more sustainable.
- Reducing stock numbers on badly impacted farms, if possible, should be considered. This could take several forms:
- A temporary shift of milking cows to another farm where they can be fed and milked on your behalf
- A permanent reduction in stocking rate through early culling or ‘in-milk sales’.