Management notes for July 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

Fertiliser application in July

Grass growth was exceptional during June. To maintain quality throughout the rest of the grazing season, it is important to continue to apply fertiliser as recommended through the CAFRE Crop Nutrient Calculator. Achieving excellent performance from grass is critical for your business. Good grazing conditions and available aftergrass means your herd has an opportunity to graze quality grass, with the potential to produce in excess of maintenance +18 litres of milk.

If you have a grass surplus on your grazing platform, continue to take out paddocks for baling and top up with fertiliser accordingly. Research from AFBI shows protected urea or Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) is the most effective source of fertiliser nitrogen (N) during the summer months. The level of N required is a farm decision and should be based on current growth rate:

• Less than 25 kg dry matter (DM) per hectare, don’t spread until it rains.
• 25-50 kg DM per hectare, spread at a reduced level of 15 kg per hectare.
• 50+ kg DM per hectare, spread as normal.

Calculating winter feed requirements

As first and second cut silage will soon be in silos, if not already, it is time to calculate your forage requirements for the winter ahead. Tables 1 and 2 allow you to estimate stocks and demand on your own farm. Convert the volume of silage to tonnes by using the relevant conversion factor in Table 1. Then calculate the silage required this winter based on the number of stock in each class and the number of months you normally feed silage.

Table 1: Conversion factors to convert silage volume to tonnes of silage

Table 2: Estimated monthly feed requirement of stock (25% dry matter silage)

If you have not enough silage in stock, estimate how much land you need to close off by planning a third cut. A third cut should produce 10 tonnes of silage per hectare after seven weeks growth.

Managing summer mastitis

During warmer conditions in mid-summer, the risk of summer mastitis is high. As you start drying off cows and have in-calf heifers grazing, necessary prevention methods should be taken. Consider the following:

• Antibiotics/teat seals

Dry cow tubes have been shown to reduce the level of disease by up to 80%. It is crucial that all tubing is done under aseptic conditions. After drying off, use a teat sealant to seal the teat canal, preventing new infection. Always consider the need for antibiotic carefully and use non-antibiotic dry cow therapy where possible.

• Fly control

Fly control products are usually applied along the back of the animal, but some can be used around the udder as well. A number of these products provide cover for four weeks, but in warm conditions when the incidence of mastitis is high, apply every two weeks. Always adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions on application and potential withdrawal periods.

• Grazing conditions

The area animals graze during the dry period may influence the level of flies. It is advisable to avoid fields that are well sheltered with a lot of tree cover. Keep fields topped to reduce tall weeds or old senescent seed heads, which provide cover for flies or can help spread infection as animals walk around the area.

• Teat damage

House animals with any teat sores or physical udder damage. Wounds will attract flies and increase the likelihood of infection.

• Isolation of infected animals

Remove animals showing signs of infection from the group and keep isolated. If the infected quarter is milked out, carefully discard the strippings due to the risk of spreading infection.

BEEF AND SHEEP

Prepared by: Nigel Gould

Maintaining quality in grazed swards

Maintaining quality in grass swards can be challenging in summer. In paddock systems, continue to graze at no higher than 9-10 cm (3,000 kg DM per hectare) and graze down to 4-5 cm (1,600 kg DM per hectare). Where post-grazing height is higher than this, quality in the next rotation will be impacted and grazing down to the target residual will be more difficult to achieve. Accumulation of dead material at the base of the sward directly affects nutritional value. In some circumstances, younger animals, such as weaned calves and lambs, can be grazed ahead of lower priority stock such as dry ewes and dry cows. Creep grazing of lambs and calves pre-weaning is also an option. One benefit of a paddock system in summer is that the option exists to take out areas as silage where grass supply exceeds demand. Don’t be tempted to wait for heavier crops on these areas as the supply and demand balance can soon change in the other direction. Although yields will likely be lower, quality will be high.

BEEF

Breeding in spring calving herds

Continue to monitor for repeats. A high number of repeats may indicate an issue with bull fertility. Options to counteract the financial loss associated with this are fewer towards the end of the breeding season. When do you plan to remove the bull? On some farms this question is never asked and the bull often remains until the end of the grazing season. The benefits of a compact calving need to be assessed in relation to your own herd. Where calving is more compact, administration of vaccines is easier and can be better timed. Most vaccines come in multi-dose vials and when opened, have a short life span of usually less than 24 hours. Also, mixing older calves with younger ones will leave the latter more susceptible to disease. Poor fertility in individual cows is more likely to go unnoticed, with calving intervals substantially extended. A cow served on the 18th July, and assuming an average gestation period of 286 days, will calve on the last day of April next year. Therefore, if you don’t want any calves born in May next year, remove the bull in mid-July.

Lungworm

July and August are generally the months when cases of lungworm are at their highest. Monitor young cattle in particular and check for coughing and panting after light exercise/running. In more extreme cases neck extension and mouth breathing can be observed and damage is often irreversible. Although more of a problem in young stock, cases in cows have become more common in recent years, where natural immunity has not had a chance to develop properly.

SHEEP

Lameness in sheep

Lameness can significantly affect flock performance if it isn’t controlled appropriately. Foot-rot and scald (inter-digital dermatitis) are the main causes of lameness in sheep, both of which are caused by the bacterium Dichelobacter Nodosus. For individual sheep, scald is often treated using oxytetracycline aerosols. Foot-bathing is used where several sheep are affected. For best results when foot-bathing, allow sheep to stand in solutions for a short time rather than just running them through. Also, stand them in a dry yard to allow the solution to dry. Foot-rot, unlike scald, extends to under-run the hoof wall or sole and is accompanied by a characteristic foul smell. Foot-bathing may limit the spread of foot-rot in the early stages but it is not an effective treatment. Discuss appropriate treatment and the option of vaccination with your vet. Contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) is another cause of lameness which is sometimes hard to differentiate from foot-rot. It is therefore important to consult your vet to get a correct diagnosis and to determine the most effective treatment. Appropriate quarantine protocols for purchased sheep, along with a strict culling policy for persistently lame sheep, will help reduce the problem.

PIGS

Prepared by: Liz Donnelly

Colostrum facts

It is a well-known fact that colostrum plays a vital role in the survival of new born pigs. This nutrient dense ‘first milk’ provides much needed energy and defence against bacteria and viruses. As well as increasing the chances of survival, an adequate intake of colostrum results in improved lifetime performance.

Other colostrum facts:

• It contains less water than sow’s milk and is therefore thicker and creamier. It is also gold in colour.
• Excretion begins shortly before the sow starts to farrow and lasts for about 24 hours after farrowing.
• The composition and amount produced varies from sow to sow and farm to farm.
• In the first few weeks of life pigs are totally dependent on the immunity they receive from colostrum. More than 95% of antibodies, which ‘kick start’ the immune system, are obtained from colostrum.
• When born, pigs have only enough energy to maintain body temperature for about half an hour. If they do not receive adequate colostrum as soon as possible after birth they become chilled and weak.
• The first six hours after birth are crucial. During this time, the antibodies can easily pass through the pig’s gut. After six hours the gut starts to ‘close’ and the absorption of antibodies is reduced. Twelve hours after birth the gut can only absorb 25% of antibodies and by 24 hours ‘closure’ of the gut is complete.

Split suckling

It is clear from the facts above that time is of essence. As well as the need to act quickly, it is important every pig gets its fair share of colostrum. This may sound simple but in practice it is often difficult to achieve. The first born and larger pigs often take more than their fair share, leaving less for the last born and weaker pigs. There are ‘tricks of the trade’ you can use to help pigs get colostrum and increase their survival rate. These include very simple things like drying pigs, helping smaller, weaker ones suckle, moving pigs closer to the sow to prevent chilling and split suckling. Research also shows that providing sows with nesting material produces better quality colostrum as the antibody levels are higher. Split suckling involves closing the largest and strongest pigs in a box/creep for one to one and a half hours. This gives the smaller, weaker pigs a better chance to get their share of colostrum. When carrying out split suckling leave at least six or seven of the smallest pigs on the sow to ensure adequate stimulation of the udder.

New antibiotic usage targets

The good news first! In 2020 there was a 5% decrease in antibiotic use on pig farms. Since 2015 usage has fallen by 62%: an excellent achievement for the industry. However, the pressure is not yet off as antimicrobial resistance continues to be a major threat to human health. For this reason, a new target has been set which requires a further 30% reduction in antibiotic use by 2024. As well as the reduction target, high users of antibiotics will be encouraged to make an extra effort to reduce usage. High users are defined as the top 5% of farms in each production category. How do you know if you are a high user? When you submit your usage data for the quarter ending June through the electronic medicine book you will be notified.

How do you reduce antibiotic use? Reducing use is not easy but it is possible. It may involve making changes to management, husbandry, housing, ventilation and/or nutrition. It may even involve the use of autogenous vaccines which target problems specific to your farm. A good starting point is to identify where the different amounts of antibiotics are used as this will highlight problems areas. Accurate and regular diagnosis is key to ensure the right antibiotic is used for the right bacterial infection. Before making any changes to antibiotic use, talk to your vet, as stopping the use of an antibiotic or reducing the dose rate could do more harm than good.

ENVIRONMENT

Prepared by: Emma Kirkland

Don’t delay, make your fertilisation plan today!

With the grazing and silage season well underway, consider the importance of fertilisation planning and the benefits of targeted nutrient application. A fertilisation plan details proposed manure and chemical fertiliser applications for the coming calendar year, based on soil analysis and crop nutrient demand.

Creating a fertilisation plan has many benefits, such as targeting fertilisers and manures at low nutrient index soils and preventing pollution of our waterways. Also, farms applying chemical phosphate fertilisers, phosphorous (P) rich manures or anaerobic digestate to any land must complete a fertilisation plan to be compliant with the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) 2019-2022. 

The key steps in fertilisation planning include:

• Establishing the soil nutrient status using a current soil analysis.
• Identifying the crop nutrient requirement.
• Calculating the quantity of organic manure to be applied considering the nutrient content of each manure type.
• Selecting the type and quantity of chemical fertiliser needed.

Farms operating under a NAP derogation (livestock manure nitrogen (N) loading above 170 kg and up to 250 kg per hectare per year from grazing livestock) require additional information in their fertilisation plan. Full details on the information required can be found on the DAERA website.       

The CAFRE Crop Nutrient Calculator is a quick and easy tool, recommended for the preparation of your fertilisation plan. Simply enter the information required and the online decision support tool will calculate crop nutrient requirements. Planning the application of fertilisers allows you to determine the N, P and potassium required by crops, the correct type and application rate of organic manures and chemical fertilisers and ensures you do not exceed crop requirement. The plan can be updated online and either printed or stored electronically as a record for inspection. Don’t delay, make your fertilisation plan today!

While the amount of nutrient applied is important, it is also worth considering the method of application, in particular the benefits of using Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment (LESSE). For farms operating under a NAP derogation, slurry spread after 15th June each year must be spread using LESSE. Derogated farms with a higher nitrogen loading must make full use of the nutrients within the slurry and minimise losses to the environment. 

Typical examples of LESSE used for grassland slurry applications include: trailing hose, trailing shoe and shallow injectors. They work by placing the slurry on, or below, the soil surface, thus reducing the amount of N lost to the atmosphere. This will increase the amount of N available to the plant and reduce chemical fertiliser requirements. Research shows, when compared to slurry spread using a splash plate, LESSE can reduce losses of N, in the form of ammonia, by up to 80%. Use of LESSE is particularly important during summer months as ammonia losses from slurry increase in warmer weather. Research also suggests that applying nutrients close to the ground, where plants can better access them, can potentially reduce losses of other nutrients such as phosphate. 

While non-derogated farms are not required to adhere to the 15th June rule, it is good practice to make use of LESSE where possible. It is also worth remembering that all slurry spread by a contractor since the 1st February 2021 must be spread using LESSE.

Reminder to complete EFS training

If you joined the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) in 2021, it is important to remember to complete the training component of your agreement.

Training is completed online and consists of a short video, typically five to ten minutes long, followed by a few questions. This must be completed for each of the options you have chosen to undertake. This training will help you understand the specifications for each option and comply with the scheme rules.

Download more information on how to login and complete the training.

Notes to editors: 

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

Share this page