Farming Diary for February

Written by Dr Clive Dalton

februaryPastures

Holidays are a memory and getting back into school routine is the next challenge.  But so is the weather, especially when the Met services predicted 'showers' never turn out to be anything and it often seems to be a substitute for guessing.  Before you get excited about a few mm of rain, check the evapotranspiration rate (check Met data in local paper) and see how much is lost each day from the soil - it can be scary.

So, regardless of what rain falls, the soil will have a moisture deficit and pastures will inevitably look a bit rough and tatty.  Don't rush out and top them as it will just increase the chances of them drying out even more, and the Facial Eczema fungi love dead litter to grow on.

Realise that any late hay will have very little nutritional value as the pasture will be over mature and be dead on its feet. The ryegrass in late hay crops will have all lost its seed, which is not all bad, as it will have fallen through the herbage into the ground and a lot of it will germinate later.

But many late hay crops are just Yorkshire fog and Browntop and are just 'fill belly' for cattle, so be careful if you buy any off the paddock.  Open a bale to check before you buy and don't pay anything near the going rate for hay.

It's a good time to decide which pastures may need renewing as this needs to be done when conditions are right - mainly after moisture levels are high enough to get a good germination of new seed.  This can be an expensive operation so get some professional advice about the best method to use and what to sow, as this is related to your individual farm and how much you can afford to spend.

Sheep

  • Rams will be keen to get to ewes and the feelings may by mutual so check fences are sound unless you want a very early lambing.
  • Check the rams are in good health, especially free of feet problems. Any old ones should have been vet checked, shorn and are not be too fat.  New rams from breeders will have had all this done and will come with a guarantee of replacement or refund if there are problems.
  • Don't treat them with any chemicals (including anthelmintics) for at least a month before joining them with the ewes.  And the same should apply to the ewes.
  • Ewes should be in good order and increasing in weight if possible when they go to the ram - not losing it.  This is the 'flushing' effect to encourage higher ovulation rates but this may not be possible in dry conditions.  However, today fertility is not a major problem in modern breeds.
  • Make sure your sheep Facial Eczema precautions are going ahead and stock are getting the right dose rates of zinc.
  • Provide shade on hot days as woolly sheep (even when shorn) can get very heat stressed.
  • Watch for blowflies, especially on any daggy sheep.
  • Depending on when you shore the ewes and hence the length of wool for mating, ewes may need to be crutched before lambing.  If they are dirty then dagging is essential.
  • It's not financially worth shearing lambs, but unshorn lambs are often very prone to flystrike so have to be done.
  • If sheep are scouring, don't rush out and buy drench before checking with your vet to make sure the problem is worms, and that you use the correct product to avoid build up of drench resistance.  Avoid giving worm drench to any mature stock unless the problem is serious - and check veterinary advice.

Cattle

  • oung weaned calves are the priority as it's important that they are kept growing, but the heat and poor pasture quality can put paid to your targets. An average of 0.5kg/day would be good but less may be more the norm.
  • Water is a top priority for cattle so make sure troughs are kept clean and water is not being wasted.
  • If young stock are scouring, don't drench them until you have checked with your vet as to the cause and the correct treatment.  With persistent use of pourons cattle worms (especially Cooperia) are now highly resistant to endectocides (pourons).
  • Make sure your cattle Facial Eczema precautions are going ahead and stock are getting the right dose rates of zinc.
  • Wean any late calves suckling cows if conditions get dry.
  • Provide shade on hot days for stock.
  • Consider feeding out supplements if drought conditions occur.
  • Get rid of all bulls off the farm that are not needed. They are always a hazard.

Farm management

  • Check the water supply regularly - there is no higher priority at this time of year.  It can be more important than feed if stock are in good condition and have good fat reserves. This does not apply to skinny stock which can get into serious trouble in hot dry conditions and need special care.
  • Shade is very important at this time, so if there is none on the property, make plans for a tree-planting programme this autumn.  Start gathering information now about the farm's 'hot spots' where trees could help.
  • Autumn is just around the corner - start thinking what plans you need to make, especially about stock numbers.
  • Check power fences as earth pegs dry out.  Check there is no stray voltage on water troughs because of poor earths, especially on those shared between two paddocks. If stock are not drinking with vigour and emptying the trough in hot weather, check the troughs for voltage.
  • Make sure all records are up to date and bills paid on time to avoid penalties.