Management Notes for March 2017

Management Notes are prepared by staff from the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE). Questions and comments are welcome to allow CAFRE to address the issues that are important to you. Please contact the author directly. CAFRE is a college within the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

DAIRYING

Prepared by: Christopher Breen

e-mail: christopher.breen@daera-ni.gov.uk 
phone: 028 6634 3097

Farm SAFE

Always think safety on the farm. As many of you are now mixing and spreading slurry be aware of the danger from slurry gases. Slurry gases are produced in large volumes soon after starting to mix. Follow the HSENI guidelines, think through and plan all aspects of slurry mixing and handling on your farm.

Getting the most from grass

As grass is the cheapest feed, get cows grazing as soon as possible. Walk the farm and see how much grass you have. You will have more than you think! Turn cows out as soon as ground conditions allow. At turnout don’t hesitate to graze cows on a grass cover of 2500 kg dry matter per hectare (the ankle of your boot). Graze grass down to 1500 kg dry matter per hectare (the heel of your boot). Cows should go out with an edge to their appetite and should be grazed for two to three hours, with a target intake of 5 kg grass dry matter. A grazing group of 60 cows will require 300 kg of grass dry matter.

Aim for an initial grazing rotation of between 25 and 30 days to allow your first grazing cycle to be completed before grass covers get too heavy. A surge in growth could mean by the time you reach the end of the first grazing cycle covers are too heavy for cows to graze out cleanly, making it more difficult to maintain grass quality throughout the grazing season.

Milk from forage

Although milk prices have increased over recent months, improving milk from forage is still key to reducing costs. Getting cows grazing is the simplest way to improve milk from forage as we move into the grazing season. In most cases March grass has a higher energy value than the silage cows have been fed.  Full March grazing has the potential to produce 20 litres of milk. Practically this requires you to increase the M+ in the parlour computer feed settings by 3 to 4 kg of additional milk at turnout. The few hours grazing after morning milking will save about 1.5 kg of concentrates per cow daily, replacing over half a tonne of concentrate a week for 50 cows. Continue to adjust the M+ in the parlour computer feed settings as cows move to full time grazing. In addition to the immediate savings in concentrate costs there should also be improvements in milk protein and yield.

The message is clear. Get some cows out grazing as soon as conditions allow and gradually get more cows out to grass. Adjust the M+ in the parlour computer feed settings at turnout and as cows move to full time grazing. Have your grazing rotation fully established by the third week in April.

March jobs checklist

• If spreading slurry on silage ground ensure it is spread by early March. Do not spread slurry on waterlogged ground, when raining heavily or when heavy rain is forecast within the next 48 hours, on ground that has a slope of 20% or more, is frozen or covered in snow.
• Tier 2 of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme (Tranche 1) closes for applications at 4pm on 10 March 2017.
• If you applied to the EU Milk Reduction Scheme for the November 2016 to January 2017 period the claim form should be submitted to the RPA by midnight on 17 March 2017.
• Complete any maintenance on cow tracks and paddock fencing in preparation for the grazing season.
• Don’t forget to change time clocks at the end of the month when the hour changes.

If you need information on any of these topics, contact your local CAFRE Dairying Development Adviser.

BEEF AND SHEEP

Prepared by:  Darryl Boyd

e-mail:            darryl.boyd@daera-ni.gov.uk

telephone:      028 7138 4309

Cattle

Lice are an issue on many farms, even if cattle were treated post housing. Signs include scratching, hair loss and small areas of blood on the skin. If left untreated performance can be affected. There are a number of suitable products for control but make sure the one you choose controls both biting and sucking lice. It may take up to four to five weeks to clear the lice and subsequent eggs. Treat all animals in the one housing area at the same time. 

Soils

Soils have two major components, soil solids and pore space. Ideally soil solids should be made up of 45% mineral matter (sand, clay, silt etc.) and 1-5% organic matter. Pore space is made up of water and air and both should be between 20 and 30% in a healthy soil. This is important as an imbalance can result in an unhealthy soil. The level of organic matter affects liming requirements as each soil type has a different target pH as shown in the table below. The maximum single application rate of lime is also different on these organic and peaty soils. A good analysis company should take account of this in the soil analysis.

When comparing liming materials cost per tonne is irrelevant, they should be compared on a cost per unit of neutralising value (NV). For example ground limestone has an NV of 50 and costs £20/t delivered and spread. Liming material A appears cheaper at £17/t delivered and spread but has an NV of 30. Ground limestone costs 40p per unit of NV (20x100p/50) and material A costs 57p per unit of NV (17x100p/30). Therefore provided they both have the same physical characteristics the ground limestone is more cost effective.

Lamb survival

Lamb numbers are key to profitability, therefore lamb survival during and after lambing is critical. From recent surveys the majority of losses at lambing (50%) are due to management before lambing and only extra labour and cost can minimise these losses. The majority of losses are due to stillbirths, infectious abortions, dystocia and trauma, lambs being too big or small and ewe death before or during lambing.

During lambing

Mis-mothering also scored highly as a reason for lamb losses. Avoid disturbing or alarming ewes immediately after lambing, ewe lambs and yearlings may react differently and therefore need special care. Some ewes are consistently poor mothers and this should be taken into account in culling decisions. A ewe should have a strong licking instinct to help minimise suffocation in unattended births.

Colostrum intake is crucial in preventing hypothermia and disease. As a rule of thumb intake should be 250 ml per kilogramme of bodyweight in the first 24 hours. Milk from well fed ewes with a single lamb can be kept as a reserve for other lambs.

Common infections after birth are watery mouth, navel ill and joint ill. The importance of pen cleanliness and an abundance of bedding cannot be overemphasised. Joint ill is usually caused by the ingestion of bacteria from the ewe’s teat and therefore cleanliness before lambing is also important. To minimise navel ill treat the navel with strong veterinary grade iodine 15 minutes after birth and again two to four hours later.

After the first three to four days the ability of lambs to survive is affected by disease, weather, predation, accident/misadventure and abandonment. Field selection for the youngest lambs is vital and you should consider; is shelter available, is the fencing adequate, what is the likely worm burden in the field?

PIGS

Prepared by:   Liz Donnelly

e-mail :            liz.donnelly@daera-ni.gov.uk

telephone:       028 9442 6767

eMB-Pigs

If eMB-Pigs is not a term you are familiar with now you soon will be. It stands for Electronic Medicine Book-Pigs and last month Red Tractor announced you will have to use the eMB-Pigs to record antibiotic usage from this autumn. By the 1 November total antibiotic usage on your unit for the previous two quarters will have to be uploaded to the eMB. This means you need to start preparing for this now as the two quarters are 1 April to 30 June and 1 July to 30 September.

At this stage you do not have to use the eMB as a medicine book for recording pig treatments and medicines purchased although you can if you wish. You can still use the book you are currently using to record this information. It is only the total antibiotic usage that has to be uploaded for each quarter.

Access to the eMB-Pigs is through the Pig Hub website. The first time you access the Pig Hub you will have to register, but this a very simple process requiring only your email address and UK pig holding number.

You may think this is another job to do and not bother doing it but it is a very important development for the industry. Deidre McIvor, NI Pork and Bacon Forum, who has been closely involved in the UK initiative on behalf of NI producers says: “The eMB-Pigs database is one of the most important developments for the future of our industry. While Red Tractor is making it a requirement, the database will also be used to set targets for our industry. Holland, Denmark and Germany have already medicine recording systems in place. To protect our industry producers need to get logged on via the web and start uploading data."

Lots of good practical information about the eMB-Pigs and how to upload data, including quick guides and videos, is available through the AHDB Pork website 

Worm workshop

Have you been to a workshop on worm control yet? CAFRE through the Farm Family Key Skills (FFKS) programme is organising workshops on worm and respiratory control at various venues throughout NI. As well as picking up plenty of practical tips on how to reduce the level of worms in your pig herd attendance at a workshop may entitle you for funding through the EU Exceptional Adjustment Aid Package, provided your vet confirms the presence of worms in your herd. It is proposed this funding will cover the cost of worm medication for sows as well as growing and finishing pigs. If you have not yet been to a workshop please enrol through the CAFRE website. Select Industry support, FFKS and enrol for a workshop at a venue that suits you.

Do you know that .....

• Worm eggs are covered in a sticky protective coat which means, under the right conditions, they can live for many years, perhaps as many as 15!
• Due to the sticky nature of the egg it is very difficult to wash them away when cleaning and disinfecting!
• The adult female worm can lay half to one million eggs per day.
• The adult worm, which can be up to 40 cm long, lives in the small intestine!
• You should treat your sows with worm medication one to two weeks before you move them to the farrowing house NOT when they are in the farrowing house!
• If you attend a worm control workshop you will learn a lot more about worms, their effect on pig performance and more importantly how to control them!

Prepared by:   Leigh McClean

e-mail :            leighmcclean@dardni.gov.uk

telephone:       028 9442 6928

CEREAL MANAGEMENT

Winter cereals

Most autumn sown crops appear to have come through the winter in good condition. Winter barley will be ready for nitrogen (N) and should receive one third to half of total N during late tillering, usually before mid-March. For winter wheat a third of total N before the start of stem extension is sufficient, usually before the end of March. When dealing with any late drilled, thin or struggling winter crops, sow nitrogen earlier to encourage tillering. For all winter cereals this first fertiliser timing is the ideal time to incorporate at least 20 kg sulphur per hectare and also the time to top up remaining phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). 

If autumn herbicide was not applied, prioritise winter barley as the few remaining grass weed herbicides effective for this crop only work on small grasses. The cut off dates for latest application are generally earlier than for winter wheat. Consult product labels carefully for latest application growth stages and dates.

Due to the relatively mild winter disease is already active in some earlier sown lush crops. These crops would benefit from a T0 fungicide providing protection if the T1 spray is delayed. 

Spring barley drilling and leatherjacket control

There is still time to soil sample fields before spreading slurry or farmyard manure. Soil sampling is money well spent as it highlights the P and K status of soils and lime requirements.

Sow as soon as a good seedbed can be created. Aim for a seed rate between 350 and 400 grains per square metre. The lower rate should suffice for March sown barley drilled into a good seedbed, increasing the seed rate in poorer conditions such as cold, wet or heavy soils or if sowing later.

In the absence of any chemical control of leatherjackets following the withdrawal of Chlorpyrifos pay attention to high risk spring barley fields where leatherjacket populations are high, particularly old grass leys being ploughed for the first time in many years. Minimise the risk of damage by drilling into a well cultivated, fine, firmly consolidated and warm seedbed where the crop can emerge quickly and grow away from the pest. Where leatherjackets are known to be a problem compensate for potential seedling losses with a higher than normal seed rate.

POTATOES

Seed preparation for planting

Attention to detail during the handling and preparation of seed before planting can result in an increased early tuber yield, while optimising fry colour and skin quality.

It is important to carefully check the seed as it arrives on farm and have a sample hot boxed to determine the presence of disease and overall sprouting vigour. Treat seed with a fungicide pre-planting to reduce disease transmission and maximise marketable yield.

Sprouting and chitting

A number of systems are available for pre-sprouting including tray and bag systems. Systems must ensure adequate temperature control and ventilation (to control sprout growth and protect against frost) and light (to control sprout growth). Seed of early potato varieties should be set up in sprouting boxes to promote apical dominance, that is, producing one strong sprout per seed tuber, one stem and a small number of large tubers early. The opposite holds for maincrop potatoes where multiple sprouting is encouraged to produce many tubers which can increase in size over a longer growing season

Mini-chitting

Mini-chitting aims to produce seed tubers with sprouts no more than 2 mm long. Seed is stored at 3-4 oC until close to planting time. The refrigeration unit is then turned off for seven to ten days to allow chitting to occur. Once sprouts of 1-2 mm have formed evenly, the seed should be cooled down again to 3-4 oC to prevent further sprout growth up to planting. Mini-chitting, whilst not having the benefits of earlier harvesting associated with pre-sprouted seed, produces a crop that emerges quickly and evenly.

Notes to editors: 

1. Follow us on Twitter: @daera_ni. 
2. All media enquiries to DAERA Press Office, pressoffice.group@daera-ni.gov.uk or tel: 028 9052 4619.

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