Management notes for August 2021

Management Notes are prepared by staff from the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE). CAFRE is a College within the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

DAIRYING

Prepared by: Richard Gibson

Dry cow management

Farmers with autumn calving herds will be starting to dry off cows. Ensuring the correct management of cows at drying off and during the dry period is critical to ensure the best possible start in the subsequent lactation. Any mistakes in the management or procedure can have consequences that will dramatically outweigh the cost of a good dry cow management plan. 

Cows should be condition scored regularly and measures taken before dry off, so that cow condition can be maintained in a steady state during the dry period.

Ideally, cows should be giving no more than 15 litres per day at drying off as this reduces the risk of dry period infections developing. Milk yield leading up to drying off can be decreased by reducing concentrate feeding, but this may add stress to the cow. Milking should be stopped abruptly. Milking cows less than twice a day before dry off can increase somatic cell counts dramatically and the risk of new infections. It can also delay the formation of the keratin plug after cessation of milking. A high proportion of all early lactation mastitis cases originate from the dry period, but do not often show as mastitis cases until the next lactation.

In terms of the drying off procedure itself, hygiene is critical. Cows should be dried off as a separate job outside of milking. Small steps, such as washing down the parlour before the cows enter, using clean gloves and an extra pair of hands, can make a big difference. Milk recording data should be used to guide selective dry cow decisions. All cows should receive internal teat sealants as they are very effective at preventing new infections, particularly during the high risk period just after drying off and just before/around calving. Cows should stand for 30 minutes after drying off before being moved to a bare paddock or poor quality silage for a few days to allow the udder to dry off.  All cows should be housed and fed a bespoke dry cow diet in the last three weeks before calving. This will maximise colostrum quantity/quality and minimise milk fever risk. 

The early dry period can be a convenient time to treat cows for parasites and to administer annual vaccines following veterinary advice.

Reseeding

Underperforming swards should now be identified for reseeding. A new reseed should yield well in excess of 10 t DM per hectare per year in the first few years of its life and if managed correctly, should maintain high quality grass for either grazing or silage.

For effective reseeding getting the establishment conditions correct is vital. Soil pH needs to be 6-6.5 with phosphate and potash at index 2. Soil analysis should already have been carried out last winter to determine correct lime and fertiliser requirements. Much of the additional yield and quality from a reseed is driven by an improved response to applied nutrients. Sow grass varieties with similar heading dates which are suitable for intended use and a maximum of four grass varieties.

Minimal cultivation and stitching-in techniques can be used to establish new or renovate existing swards.

• Minimal cultivation - if the old sward contains scutch grass or is heavily infested with docks, it should be burnt off before cultivation. Following hard grazing (3-5 cm) or silage cutting, spray off the regrowth. About a week later, (follow specific product recommendation), drill the seed into a shallow tilth prepared by harrowing the surface and rolling afterwards.
• Stitching in – use this technique to improve swards with a significant proportion of perennial ryegrass. It is particularly suitable for open silage swards or stony ground. Most drills will sow grass seed into existing swards. Minimise competition from the existing sward by hard grazing or mowing for silage immediately before reseeding. Graze with light stock after reseeding to keep the existing sward from overwhelming the new seedlings.

Inspect all reseeds for signs of pest damage, particularly frit fly and leatherjackets.

Typically for every kilogramme of nitrogen applied, (from bag/slurry) you could see   about 25kg DM response from a young vigorous sward at peak growing time. With this level of response, grass is relatively cheap forage, especially when establishment costs are only likely to be incurred in the first of the potential five to10 years that the sward is down. It is reasonable to expect to reseed 10%-20% of the farm per year to achieve the farm’s full grass growth potential with the new improved varieties.

BEEF AND SHEEP

Prepared by: Nigel Gould

Preparation for weaning

Preparation for weaning spring born calves should happen well in advance. The stress of weaning can result in a growth check and measures taken in advance can reduce the severity of this check. These measures include reducing the cow-calf bond and ensuring the calf’s immune system is optimised by weaning.

Pneumonia can be an issue in weaned calves in autumn and the severity of it can be increased by the presence of lungworm or hoose. Treating calves for lungworm at weaning can add to the stress, particularly where high lungworm burdens are present. Ideally, treat for lungworm two to three weeks before weaning. Vaccination against pneumonia is effective, if the specified protocols are adhered to and good management is maintained. Generally, two shots of the vaccine are required, administered three weeks apart. The first shot is required up to six weeks pre-weaning for some products to achieve maximum immunity at weaning.

Creep grazing as soon as possible before weaning and supplementing calves with concentrates four to six weeks pre-weaning will reduce the cow-calf bond. The increased nutrition will also help boost the calf’s natural immune response. Generally, offer between 2 and 3 kg of concentrate per calf per day, depending on calf type. Less is required for some native bred heifer calves in particular, while a higher level may be justified for heavily muscled bull calves. It is important to be mindful that the aim is to supplement the diet of quality grazed grass rather than replace it.

Autumn reseeding

Reseeding before the middle of August generally increases the chances of a successful outcome. While some later reseeds have been successful in the past, they have generally occurred where autumn weather conditions were better than average. Earlier reseeding generally allows sufficient time for the new grass, and clover plants if sown, to establish before temperatures drop. It should also allow grazing by light stock, such as sheep or weanlings before winter, which will help grass plants to tiller, resulting in a thicker sward. Where clover is sown, grazing will allow light to penetrate and assist establishment. The application of a post-emergence spray at five to six weeks after sowing is the most effective method of ensuring minimal weed establishment. Targeting weeds before their root systems have time to develop is one of the main reasons for controlling weeds early.

Optimum soil fertility will result in a better success rate with a pH of 6.2 and P and K indices of 2. If soil analysis has shown soil fertility to be below this, consider improving fertility before reseeding. Low soil fertility makes it more difficult for perennial ryegrass and clover plants to establish, while making it easier for certain grassland weeds and other lower productive grasses to take their place.

Decide on a cultivation technique which best suits the particular type of land. Conventional ploughing is often the best, however, where soil is shallow and stony, a min-till approach is more appropriate. The more common form of min-till involves discing (two to three passes in alternate directions) and/or harrowing followed by sowing the seed. It is important to graze or mow/top tightly to minimise the amount of trash in the sward, which results in more acidic conditions at the soil surface. An application of lime will counteract this. Direct drilling into an existing sward is also an option. The aim when direct drilling is to minimise competition from the existing sward. For this reason, direct drilling straight after silage harvest or after the sward is tightly grazed will maximise success rate. Ploughing, where possible, will act as a remedy for compaction and should also help with drainage.

HORTICULTURE

Prepared by: Kieran Lavelle

Vertical farming

Vertical farming (VF) is a technologically advanced plant production system, producing food that has the potential to be more sustainable compared to conventional food production.

There is a need to increase food production by 60% by 2050 to meet global demands, with the need for water increasing by 50%. VF is a soilless, stacked growing system, where all the elements of the growing procedure are controlled by the operators. These controls include; lighting, temperature, moisture, nutrient, carbon dioxide and oxygen supply to the plants.

VF has the potential to preserve many of the resources that conventional practices exploit. Water efficiency can be 95% more favourable compared to conventional production. With zero pesticide inputs and reduced fertiliser requirement, VF shows the potential to alleviate the environmental stresses of food production. The stacked growing system also reduces the land print of the growing systems, thus reducing the land required to produce plant products.

The growing systems can be contained within purpose built buildings or modules and have also been retrofitted into existing grow houses, such as mushroom tunnels. In a closed looped system, water and nutrients are circulated and recycled, vastly increasing the water saving potential of the system.

Lettuce has been produced in a VF system at 100 kg per square metre. This is compared to 4 kg in an open field or 41 kg in a glasshouse. However, the electricity input to operate the LED and HVAC systems could be three times higher than that of a conventional glasshouse system.

The high energy costs required to provide the necessary light for photosynthesis and to control climatic conditions in the closed environment, reduce the economic potential of the technology, but growers with access to alternative energy sources could embrace VF. The sustainable potential of VF is significant. As water usage is minimal, zero pesticides, reduced fertilisers and zero peat needed, the future potential for these growing structures is huge. Download more information from the CAFRE website.

Weed control in container production

Weeds such as Bittercress, Willowherb and Liverwort are some of the most common weeds found in containers. These can cause problems with nutrient deficiencies, light quality and pest and disease if populations become established. Larger weed populations can also impact sales as they tarnish the quality of the plant and its overall appearance. Controlling and reducing weed populations is therefore critical. As manually removing weeds is labour intensive, alternative methods must be considered. Some of the most common of these are:

• Pine bark mulch - a fine grade bark that is used as a topdressing on containers. Aesthetically pleasing and moderately effective in controlling weed populations. It can cause issues with mess if the containers are spilled over.
• Coir mulch rings – these are used extensively in tree container and larger container size production. They are effective at supressing weeds from germinating and show great results. However, they are labour intensive and if overhead irrigation is used, careful monitoring of water levels is required.
• Wood fibre – used in corporation with bark mulch. It has a semi-bonding state so it tends to stick to the container top. It is a very effective method of controlling weeds.
• Weed out fabric rings - similar to coir circles, these are placed over the top of the pot. Although effective they are prone to small tears, resulting in weed seed germination. They can also be easily blown off the container.

Weather effects and handling must be considered when selecting a suitable method for suppressing and controlling weeds.

FINANCE

Prepared by: Jason McFerran

Using the past to plan for the future

Hindsight is a wonderful thing they say, but it is even better to have foresight. The CAFRE Business Team, are responsible for validating the financial and physical benchmarking data which is collected as part of the Business Development Group (BDG) scheme. Benchmarking data, by definition, is historical, as it looks back at the data from the year that has just finished. However, the information presented in each benchmarking report allows farm businesses to learn from the past and plan for the future. Benchmarking encourages you to question how your business performed last year and to identify areas for potential cost saving or where productivity and efficiency could be improved.

At this time of year we produce annual benchmarking reports and are currently summarising the 2019/20 data. It’s always interesting to see this summary and to analyse the figures.

It’s no surprise that across all enterprises, good physical performance usually translates into good financial performance. We see this when we look at Table 1, which highlights the difference between the top 25% and the average performing benchmarked farms for a dairy enterprise (based on net profit per cow). The difference is noteworthy.

Table 1 - Difference in performance in 2019/20 between the top 25% and average performing dairy herds

The top dairy farmers are getting more milk from less concentrate, and this along with other areas of good physical and financial performance, results in increased profit. For a farm with 125 cows, (the benchmarked average), the difference in net profit translates to £41,125 for the year. 

We see the same trends when we look at the suckler to beef enterprise. The difference in total output is approximately £120 per cow between the average and top 25% of farms. The top 25% also had lower variable costs (£70 per cow) and fixed costs (£120 per cow). In short, it cost the bottom 25% more money to achieve a lower output. This culminated in a difference in a margin of £310 per cow. For a farm with 54 suckler cows, (the benchmarked average), the difference translates to £16,740 for the year. 

Variable costs

What are the top performers doing differently to achieve this additional margin? Looking at the variable costs, the top 25% are generally lower on all costs, not just one in particular. Concentrate is the largest variable cost, followed by forage costs, which are mostly made up of fertiliser. Good grassland management, both for grazing and silage ground, will increase forage quality and maximise output from forage. Although breeding costs do not account for a large proportion of overall costs, top farms are breeding for genetic improvement, which through time should increase performance. The same applies to veterinary and health costs. Maintaining good herd health, treating issues promptly and dealing with the root cause of these problems reduces veterinary costs. Making use of your vet to plan an effective vaccination policy for the farm is also advised.

Overhead costs

The main difference in overhead costs are mechanisation and building depreciation. However, it is worth remembering that although money spent on new housing, yards or facilities on the farm will increase costs in the short term, it is an investment for the future. Keeping control of overhead costs includes a measured approach to purchasing new machinery and equipment, a maintenance policy for the whole farm including land, buildings and machinery and using electricity, fuel and water efficiently. It is always worth discussing options for capital investment with your accountant to ensure best use is made of appropriate tax allowances.

Notes to editors: 

1. Follow DAERA on Twitter and Facebook.
2. All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office.

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