‘The Grass €alculator’ can be downloaded from the Teagasc website.
One of the things that puts farmers off relying more on grass is the fact they don’t know exactly how much the animals are eating.
Irish dairy researchers at Moorepark (Teagasc) have come up with a nifty calculator to help estimate the quantity of grass utilised annually on the farm.
The amount of grass grown and eaten has a direct effect on profitability – 44% of the variation in net profit per hectare between dairy farms in Ireland is directly related to the quantity of grass utilised per hectare.
Currently, nationally Irish framers are utilising on average 6.4 tonnes of grass DM/ha annually – well below that achieved with best practice grazing management. Highly profitable grass-based farms are using 10-12tonnes of DM/ha – which should be the target for most.
Teagasc researcher Brian McCarthy says that the Grass Calculator, which has been sponsored by the Ulster Bank, is a simple way to estimate the quantity of grass utilised in the form of grazing and grass silage each year. It should be used with annual financial results to inform decision making on future grazing and feeding.
It will help focus farmers minds on the performance of their pasture and help find ways to improve output; for instance by increasing stocking rate, turning out earlier, re-seeding underperforming paddocks, or achieving a better match between feeding levels and animal requirements.
In trial runs using the calculator it became clear that farms that harvest more grass are characterised by:
• Higher stocking rates
• Longer grazing seasons
• Reduced concentrate feeding
• Earlier calving
• Higher milk output per hectare
The Grass Calculator can be downloaded from the Teagasc website at www.agresearch.teagasc.ie/moorepark