Farming Diary for February

Pastures

What a contrast this season has been to recent seasons.  There has never been so many bales of silage stacked up along fence lines and in yards for years. Crops just soaked up the rain.  It's just a pity the bottom of the South Island missed out, and hopefully they can be helped out from the North Island surpluses.

The underground aquifers, (that most folk assume will flow for ever), will have been restored and Lake Taupo is full to the brim, so all its users will be happy.

The main job now is to decide what to do with any surplus pasture still standing - much of which got to fence high in January and has died off.
If you still have this sort of long, out-of-control pasture on the farm - there are two options available depending on the cash situation.

You can either cut off what's growing and conserve it, or get some stock to graze it off. The second is the cheapest option, but all things considered, not always the best.

It's essential to get the old herbage off the paddock is to allow new fresh growth to come away before autumn - and not to waste this feed (despite its doubtful quality) as it cost you money to produce.  Decide what you want to do from the points below.

Cutting for baleage (or haylage)

• At this time of year, this is the best option if there's any doubt about the weather.
• Baleage has a Dry Matter content of around 40% as opposed to hay with DM of 80%.
• With busy contractors with big gear these days, you'll end up with big bales  which are a pain to handle in winter, but you will have to accept this.
• There may be a contractor around with a small baler but this will be more expensive than the large bales, and these small bales are still a two-person lift.

Cutting for hay

• There's no point in making poor hay by getting it rained on, so you'll need the guarantee of a few hot days to dry it quickly, and that the ground dries up.
• Trying to dry cut grass to make hay on wet ground is doomed to fail.
• Half of what's growing will be dead top (seed heads and weed stalks), but there will be some good green feed in the bottom of the pasture, which will take a hot sun to dry.
• Hay's main attraction is that it's easy to feed out in winter.

Cutting for silage

"  This is not an option as the pasture quality has gone too far toward maturity.
"  You can only make good silage from pasture where there are only 10-15% seed heads.

Grazing off the surplus

• To do this effectively, you will need some large, mature hungry cattle that will clean up everything they are offered.
• Young stock won't do this, as they are too selective in their grazing habits.
• You will need a good electric fence and a hard heart - so you don't shift the fence every time they see you and bellow to be moved.
• Trying to find stock will be the problem.  Big beef cattle will be almost ready for slaughter so you can expect to pay well over $1000/head for a start.
• Any large dairy cows will be culls (boners) and be about the same price as fat cattle.
• The best option would be to borrow some cattle - for a short sharp clean up which means you'll need access to a loading ramp and yard - or a close-by dairy farmer.
• Good fences and gates will be essential too if you are near a busy road, and avoid any bulls!
• If you do use a mower or slasher after grazing to clean up rough bits, remember that dead litter on the pasture is a good home for Facial Eczema spores.

Sheep

• Rams will be ready for action in the North Island and they will be triggering oestrus in ewes that are in good condition.
• So check fences unless you want a very early lambing.
• All rams should have been shorn and vet checked. The breeder will have checked new rams;
• It's old rams kept or borrowed from neighbours that need a thorough health check.
• You can't afford to have a ram not performing with ewe heat cycles every 14-22 days as lambing will be delayed by this amount, which can then affect marketing dates in December.
• Big fat rams that have been lying around all summer need exercise.  Put them in the driveway up to the house to disturb them by passing traffic and get fit.
• After shearing don't treat them with chemicals (including anthelmintics) for at least a month before joining with the ewes.
• And the same should apply to the ewes. Pharmaceutical companies and vets say there is no evidence of harm done from dips and drenches to developing embryos, but I have seen clear on-farm evidence of this.
• Ewes should be in good order and increasing in weight when they go to the ram - not losing it.
• This is the 'flushing' effect to encourage higher ovulation rates.  This is not possible in drought conditions, but fertility is not a major problem in modern breeds.
• Check your FE precautions are going ahead and stock are getting the right dose rates of zinc. For sheep the bolus is the best option; check with your vet.
• Shade is important on hot days as even shorn sheep can get heat stressed. Watch for blowflies, especially on any daggy sheep.
• Depending on when you shore the ewes, they may need crutching before mating.  Any dirty sheep will need dagging.
• It's financially worth shearing lambs this season, but in any case, unshorn lambs are more prone to flystrike so should have their wool removed.
• If sheep are scouring, don't 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.
• You should not need to worm drench any mature stock as their immunity is fully developed and they should not need it, despite what the ads say.

Cattle

• Weaned calves are the priority, as it's important to keep them growing as if they get stunted, they never catch up.
• With plenty of feed they should be doing 1kg/head/day but in dry areas, be realistic, and you'll be lucky to average of 0.5kg/day.
• If feed is short, just try to maintain them and not lose too much, so they'll hopefully put on some 'compensatory growth' when the autumn rains and grass grows.
• This is the theory, which regularly fails in practice.
• Water is a top priority for cattle so make sure troughs are kept clean and water is not being wasted. If you wouldn't drink from the trough - why should cattle?
• If young stock are scouring, don't drench until you have checked with your vet as to the cause and the correct treatment.
• With persistent use of pouron endectocides, the main cattle worms (Cooperia) are now highly resistant to the chemicals. Talk to your vet about how bad this problem may be on your farm, and how to get around it.
• Make sure FE precautions are going ahead, and that stock are getting the right dose rates of zinc.
• Wean any late born calves still suckling cows if conditions get dry and provide shade on hot days.
• Get rid of all bulls off the farm that are not needed. They are always a hazard.

Farm management

• The water supply is critical, so check regularly for leaks and why the pump may be always going.
• Find out how to maintain and service the pump to keep your maintenance costs down.
• If feed shortage is not manageable, then destock the farm till the grass grows again.
• Skinny starving stock will end you up in court, as every phone now has a camera and animal welfare has become a public issue - which is a good thing!
• Shade is very important for stock 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.
• 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.
• Keep checking farm security as livestock and equipment are always on the list for thieves.