Grassland

A growing number of farmers in Northern Ireland are moving towards autumn- and winter-calving as a way pf maximising milk from grazed grass, particularly at the end of the cow’s lactation. Richard Halleron speaks to a farmer who is doing just that.

How you seal your silage clamp can have a huge effect on the speed and efficiency of the clamp-filling process, the quality of forage ultimately produced and the labour hours needed to maintain it once it is opened for feed-out.

The five-year Farm Net Zero project aims to investigate the contribution agriculture can make to achieve the net zero target. Rebecca Jordan visits one of the farms taking part.

With a target of keeping clamped silage losses to below 5 per cent, the Halton family has assessed all aspects of silage making from cutting to clamping.

Good silage will be key to making the most of good milk prices in the face of high fertiliser and feed costs.

With input costs skyrocketing, looking at alternative home-grown protein sources could help bolster ruminant rations while reducing the reliance on purchased feeds. Farmers Guardian reports.

Soil compaction often goes unnoticed in grassland soils and yet it can have an adverse impact on productivity comparable to the effect in cultivated soils.

Taking a targeted approach to the use of manures and slurries as part of a comprehensive nutrient management planning process is essential to keep input costs manageable.

Dairy farmers are constantly being urged to increase milk from forage, but the exact financial benefits of doing this are not always spelled out.

As market analysts predict milk price rises into autumn 2022, dairy farmers who can maintain milk yields over this period will be in the best position to take advantage of this buoyant market.