Grazing is very much at the heart of everything we do on the farm. Grazing management is given top-priority. Many people call what we do “Extended Grazing” as our grazing season is considerably longer than that of many “conventional” farms. However this is a term that I no longer prefer to use as it suggests a bolt on approach. Whereas the reality is that grass and its efficient utilization by grazing is very much at the centre of everything we do and all other decisions revolve around this.

We consider an compact spring calving pattern the best way to utilize grazed grass. The idea being to match the energy requirement of the cows as closely as possible to grass growth. The cows would be dry during the housing period when silage is fed thus minimizing the amount of silage needed. Unfortunately we are limited by the amount of land that is accessible to the milking cows for grazing. So we feel it necessary to have an autumn block which can be dried off in late summer and shipped to an out farm to decrease the stocking rate at home and keep the milking cows at grass for as long as possible and reduce the amount of silage needed.

Grazing must be placed first with silage only being made out of genuine surpluses. It is economic folly to make silage when grazed grass is in short supply. Also known as “Feeding silage to make silage”.

Like any feeding regime grazed grass must be managed in such a way that the cows have enough dry matter intake to meet their nutritional requirements. This is a lot more challenging than feeding silage out of a clamp or ordering feed from a mill and requires careful management but it is much more rewarding. The problem is that grass growth varies not only seasonally but also due to weather changes and no two years are the same. The farmer needs to monitor the situation continually if he is to pre-empt any crisis.