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Barenbrug more than a century of knowledge and experience in grass innovation
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<blockquote data-quote="Great In Grass" data-source="post: 7429146" data-attributes="member: 79"><p>Spring rotational planners – don’t overlook basic grazing principles</p><p></p><p>Done right and your spring rotational planner (SRP) plays a major role in helping manage early spring grazing and hit the grass residuals required to optimise second rotation grazing. But these planners do have limitations and if you fail to react appropriately when things don’t go according to plan, grass performance can really suffer.</p><p></p><p>Early spring is a delicate balancing act. Grass carried through winter needs to be rationed carefully, winter swards grazed to stimulate grass growth and the right residuals achieved to set the farm up for the best grass performance later in the season.</p><p></p><p>SRPs are a great way to navigate this challenging early grazing period, helping to work out the most efficient way to allocate grazing throughout early spring. A planner divides up the grazing platform and suggests what proportion of first rotation grazing should be allocated each day and week. The aim is to graze grass to a specific residual to encourage later grass growth and performance. A planner takes into account average farm cover (AFC), total length of first rotation and the predicted ‘magic day’ – when grass supply surpasses herd demand.</p><p></p><p>But while the guidance an SRP provides is useful, it is vital you recognise its limitations. A rotational planner is just a plan. It doesn’t consider, for example, the impact of stocking rates and outside influences (such as the weather) on projected grazing goals made at the start of the season.</p><p></p><p>A plan made one year will not automatically deliver the same results the next. Rather than simply following its recommendations, no matter what the circumstances, update the plan throughout the spring so it reflects the real-life situation - and react accordingly.</p><p></p><p>Gaining the best results</p><p>For the best grass growth and performance during second rotation grazing, old grass growth and dead material need to be stripped out of swards. The aim is for 100% of the farm to be grazed before magic day and the start of the second rotation. To achieve this, you must make sure the first rotation is long enough in the planner. The goal is to have grazed 30% of the farm during February, 60% by mid-March and the final 40% stretched out to just before magic day, in early April. Be adaptable, as reduced or increased grass growth might alter the date you turn out other stock in order to meet these key goals.</p><p></p><p>Post-grazing grass residuals should also be used to gauge how much supplementary feeding is provided. The target residual is 3.5cm during the first rotation. If the post-grazing residuals are higher than this, supplementary feeding needs to be reduced to stimulate appetite and demand for grass. Conversely, if residuals drop below 3cm, supplementary feeding needs to be increased to ensure cows are adequately fed.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Great In Grass, post: 7429146, member: 79"] Spring rotational planners – don’t overlook basic grazing principles Done right and your spring rotational planner (SRP) plays a major role in helping manage early spring grazing and hit the grass residuals required to optimise second rotation grazing. But these planners do have limitations and if you fail to react appropriately when things don’t go according to plan, grass performance can really suffer. Early spring is a delicate balancing act. Grass carried through winter needs to be rationed carefully, winter swards grazed to stimulate grass growth and the right residuals achieved to set the farm up for the best grass performance later in the season. SRPs are a great way to navigate this challenging early grazing period, helping to work out the most efficient way to allocate grazing throughout early spring. A planner divides up the grazing platform and suggests what proportion of first rotation grazing should be allocated each day and week. The aim is to graze grass to a specific residual to encourage later grass growth and performance. A planner takes into account average farm cover (AFC), total length of first rotation and the predicted ‘magic day’ – when grass supply surpasses herd demand. But while the guidance an SRP provides is useful, it is vital you recognise its limitations. A rotational planner is just a plan. It doesn’t consider, for example, the impact of stocking rates and outside influences (such as the weather) on projected grazing goals made at the start of the season. A plan made one year will not automatically deliver the same results the next. Rather than simply following its recommendations, no matter what the circumstances, update the plan throughout the spring so it reflects the real-life situation - and react accordingly. Gaining the best results For the best grass growth and performance during second rotation grazing, old grass growth and dead material need to be stripped out of swards. The aim is for 100% of the farm to be grazed before magic day and the start of the second rotation. To achieve this, you must make sure the first rotation is long enough in the planner. The goal is to have grazed 30% of the farm during February, 60% by mid-March and the final 40% stretched out to just before magic day, in early April. Be adaptable, as reduced or increased grass growth might alter the date you turn out other stock in order to meet these key goals. Post-grazing grass residuals should also be used to gauge how much supplementary feeding is provided. The target residual is 3.5cm during the first rotation. If the post-grazing residuals are higher than this, supplementary feeding needs to be reduced to stimulate appetite and demand for grass. Conversely, if residuals drop below 3cm, supplementary feeding needs to be increased to ensure cows are adequately fed. [/QUOTE]
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