Autumn Grazing Management - Remove the Guess Work

The drought has broken and those who have looked after their pastures through a challenging time (see my previous article here) will be seeing a “second spring” – with high growth rates and excellent quality. 

This is one of the most valuable resources on your farm, and we have the tools to manage this to best effect, to:

· Balance rations and eke out an excellent source of protein

· Reduce demands on tight winter forage stocks

· Keep animals out for as long as possible, reducing slurry handling, diesel costs etc.

Current grass quality is suitable for all breeds, yield levels and stages of lactation if managed correctly:

· Fresh allocation every 12 or 24 hours

· Measured allocation on a dry matter basis

· Forage analysis where necessary

· As part of a balanced ration formulated by an independent advisor— for Independent Nutritional Advice click here 

The key to this is regular measurement to determine  covers and growth rates. From this we can formulate an autumn grass budget. Those using packages such as Agrinet may already be familiar with this process. For those not using such software, we can provide a template and advice to carry out this plan.  By inputting grass covers, predicted growth rates and target intakes for animals, we can project average farm cover and alter management to make best use of your grass. This will also form part of your overall forage budget, Informing buying decisions and winter planning.















Measure, Plan and Act with the help of an independent eye who can help you capitalise on the value of autumn grazing and help recoup some of the high feeding costs of the last three months.

Contact Tom on 07496760242 at tommalleson@fcgagric.com