Farmers Across the Country Asking if it's Worth Producing Milk into the End of the Year

Dairy farmers are asking if it is worth continuing to produce milk into November and December and when spring-calving cows need to be dried off, now that milk quotas are not limiting. They are also asking if cows are to be milked, how does this affect autumn grassland management?

The simple answer to the first question is that the calving date and condition score should decide when the dry period starts. Cows finishing their first lactation and predicted to calve for the second time in early spring need at least 10 to 12 weeks dry to regain lost condition score. Mature cows in good condition will suffice with six to eight weeks dry, but if they are due to calve in early February, this means they need to be dried off by the end of November.

Again, if cows are in poor condition score, it is better to dry them off for two to three weeks in addition to the eight-week basic treatment.

One of the golden rules for spring grassland management suggests the first paddocks targeted for grazing in early February need to be closed in early October.

The rest of the paddocks should be closed in rotation from then onwards. If you graze the first paddocks for the spring in November and December, you won’t have grass on them in February.

So, if late calving cows are being milked then the autumn grassland plan should not change.

You need to stick by the plan to have spring grass available and that means starting to close in early October.

1. Feed meal or round-bale silage to fit the autumn feed budget and to supplement what grass is left on-farm.

2. Autumn clean-out is important and cows should, if at possible, clean out the paddock so that there is no carryover of old clumps of grass that will die off over winter and cause bare patches in the sward next spring.

3. Start drying off cows from mid-October. The first cows to be dried will be those finishing the first lactation, thin cows and those milking less than 8kg per day

4. Only late-calving cows can potentially be milked on into December and January. Whether this is worthwhile or not depends on the quality of forage available, the price of concentrate purchased and the value of the extra milk. Don’t compromise condition score for spring-calving cows.

Article by Jack Kennedy in The Farmers Journal 1st October, 2015.