Owl Farm

Farmwatch

Region: Waikato

The aim is to feed the cows at a rate more than 100 MJME/cow/day, targeting BCS gain. The rotation length is longer for this time of year than usual, anticipating some rain and an opportunity to build-up pasture cover. The current situation is very similar to April 2013. In that year pasture cover was restored to just 2100 kg DM/ha by early July and some first calvers were lighter and below target BCS at calving.
There is no clear end yet to this dry spell but it’s important to plan for achieving the required BCS and pasture cover targets. Making small gains each week towards the targets can add momentum to their overall achievement. Thought needs to be given to contingencies in case they are not achievable e.g. trading off between pasture cover and BCS gain, and perhaps locking in feed contracts for the spring.
The aim is to get 85% of all mature cows to BCS 5.0, and all first and second calvers to BCS 5.5. The greatest return from any extra feed will be from increasing the body condition score of the lightest cows. Sorting cows by condition and feeding them differentially may be an option for some.

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