Southland Monitor Farm Project

Transcription

1 Southland Monitor Farm Project Weekly Update 27 April 2011 All of the APC s across the region have been showing a gradual decline as the weather turns colder. The APC s now range from 1815 to 2166 kg DM/ha. The growth rates have also shown a large drop within the past week, they now range from 12 to 29 kg DM/ha/day the lowest located at Riversdale and the highest at Wallacetown. Most of the monitor farms have started to send away cull cows so the stocking rates have dropped slightly. Production of MS/cow has dropped as the season draws to an end. This week shows a large drop in soil temperatures, with the onset of morning frosts being a large contributor to this. Looking back at the month of April, Figure 1 shows that the growth rates have taken a very steep decline from the high growth rates in March. Northern Southland s growth rates are below the seasonal average; however the other monitor farm locations are aligned with, or above the previous 3 season s average. Figure 2 demonstrates that the drop in soil temperatures during the month of April has been the same as the past 3 years and it is only slightly below last year s average temperature. Figure 1: Seasonal Growth Rates across the Region Figure 2: Seasonal Soil Temperatures across the Region

2 Weekly Tip Continue to dry off the lower BCS cows or put onto once a day milkings. Cull cows should be sorted and booked in to be sent away. Check effluent pond levels. Limited time exists to empty this prior to winter. Make the most of appropriate weather and soil moisture levels for your effluent system to empty the pond. Remember to keep a close eye on your number of lame cows; for help with these, contact your local Healthy Hoof provider, they are trained to help with this problem. More information is available from Farm Summary Demo Eastern Central Northern West Telford Farm Otago Average cover (kg DM/ha) Previous APC (kg DM/ha) Supplement (kg/cow/day) Rotation length (days) Stocking rate on pasture Milksolids kg/cow Milksolids kg/ha N (kg/ha) Soil temperature ( C) Growth Rate (kg DM/day) Rainfall Comments Pasture Growth Rates

3 Soil Temperature

4 Frei Goble van der Poel Hall

5 Southland Monitor Farm Project Weekly Update 20 April 11 This week across the region, all of the APC s have dropped slightly, however the growth rates have risen. The APC s range from 1885 kg DM/ha in Riversdale to 2270 kg DM/ha in Edendale. The growth rates range from 25 to 44 kg DM/ha/day growth. All of the monitor farms are now currently feeding supplement, these supplements include baleage, PKE, silage, barley and alkalage (Riversdale). The MS production is slowly declining over all the monitor farms as the season progresses. Looking at the feed wedges, three of the four monitor farms are about to encounter a slight feed deficit (shown by the gap between the wedge and the target grazing line). So will have to implement suitable management techniques to overcome these. Weekly Tip This is a critical time for cow condition so take action now in this regard. Any cows below BCS 4.0 should be dried off now and preferentially fed to gain condition over the next six weeks. With the wetter conditions lately and milk production falling naturally, the risk of mastitis and higher SCC s is increasing. Therefore ensure cows are properly teat sprayed at every milking and consider drying-off high SCC cows as well as any seriously lame cows, after treating them. Consider taking blood samples in late autumn to monitor copper and selenium levels taking action if herd is at risk of low levels of these minerals. Plan vaccinations for leptospirosis, BVD and rotavirus. Book in your milking machine checks now for the winter. Farm Summary Demo Eastern Central Northern West Telford Farm Otago Average cover (kg DM/ha) Previous APC (kg DM/ha) Supplement (kg/cow/day) Rotation length (days) Stocking rate on pasture Milksolids kg/cow Milksolids kg/ha N (kg/ha) Soil temperature ( C) Growth Rate (kg DM/day) Rainfall Comments

6 Pasture Growth Rates Soil Temperature

7 Frei Goble van der Poel Hall

8 Southland Monitor Farm Project Weekly Update 6 th April 2011 This week across the region, there has been a noticeable decline in soil temperatures; these coincide with the drop in growth rates. The growth rates now range from 19 to 43 kg DM/ha/day. The APC s over the monitor farms range from 1891 to 2346 kg DM/ha, the lowest located at Riversdale and the highest at Wallacetown. Most of the monitor farms are currently feeding supplement, these supplements include baleage, PKE, silage, barley and alkalage (Riversdale). The MS production is slowly declining over all the monitor farms as the season progresses. All of the round lengths have been extended, and they now range from 27 to 40 days long. All of the monitor farms except Riversdale and Tapanui have continued to apply nitrogen, following the cows grazing rotation. Weekly Tip Continue monitoring pasture covers and growth rates and relate these back to your autumn feed budget. If feeding supplement make sure the approximate intake is monitored and that this fits into your feed budget ensuring that no pasture is wasted. Assess the body condition of the herd and dry off or preferentially feed lighter cows. Use herd test information to check production and SCC of heavy conditioned cows and consider drying the poorer producers off. Now is also a good time to look into getting crop yields monitored in order to get your winter feed budget fine tuned. Consult the DairyNZ farmfacts on how to grow high yielding crops at Farm Summary Demo Eastern Central Northern West Telford Farm Otago Average cover (kg DM/ha) Previous APC (kg DM/ha) Supplement (kg/cow/day) Rotation length (days) Stocking rate on pasture Milksolids kg/cow Milksolids kg/ha N (kg/ha) Soil temperature ( C) Growth Rate (kg DM/day) Rainfall Comments

9 Pasture Growth Rates Soil Temperature

10 Frei Goble van der Poel Hall