They can’t wait fast enough for spring to arrive with calving at the mid way mark for some of them.
Spring is officially less than a month away and farmers are hoping it brings much needed pasture growth and fine weather.
DairyNZ consultant, Scott Cameron said calving had been going well, but pasture covers were down and feed was short due to the wet.
He said palm kernel (PKE) could still be fed as a supplementary feed to cows this year.
«There isn’t grading against the farmers but it is more of a review year so farmers know whether or not they will grade. Next year grading will come into play. »
Fonterra said palm kernel limits were as still a voluntary guideline this year while farmers adjusted their systems to meet the range.
The proposed grading system comes into effect next season. Palm kernel affects milk fat levels for processing.
Farmers can use about three kilograms per day of the supplementary feed, but it depends on the cow, its time in lactation, and the palm kernel.
James Stewart, a dairy farmer near Palmerston North, said calving was well underway and paddocks were wet.
«I am not sure it’s any wetter at the moment, because I don’t think we can get any wetter than we have been. But the length of time we have had rain fall over the year is starting to test my patience. It has been saturated for so long.»
He said grass utilisation was poor, as cows were tramping pasture into the mud.
«And gateways are damaged. Not to mention if you take a tractor in the paddock and the damage caused with that.»
Stewart said most people were feeding cows with supplementary feed such as hay, soilage and palm kernel. He was looking at buying more reserves when supplements ran out.
«But the good news is we are in a good mood, with more of a sustainable milk payout which has taken some of the winter blues away.»
Rangiotu dairy farmer, near Palmerston North, Robert Ervine said calving had been going well, but pasture growth rates had been lower than normally expected.
«As always at this time of year its hard to monitor everything, but it is important to make informed decisions and you need to do a feed budget to know where you are and what feed is on hand and how quickly its disappearing.»
Ervine said the farm’s own silage stack was getting smaller by the day and he had three weeks left.
«And hopefully by the end of August we will be growing more grass and it will have dried out a lot.»
He said the one bright side of the season was the strength of the milk price and a good advance. .
«As always, it’s hard to get good payout and a good season to coincide.»
Sheep, beef and deer farmer at the top of the Pohangina Valley, Tony Gray said cold and wet summed up farming at the moment.
«We have not had any day time temperatures in double digits for awhile.
«But most people up here don’t start lambing until the end of the month to the middle of September.»
He said beef cows were calving through to the middle of October.
«Those calving now will be calving onto saved pasture. Deer are not due to have fawns until November. So there is a a long way to go yet»
Gray said grass was low on many sheep and beef farms and strategic use of nitrogen would likely begin soon to boost pasture.
«Meanwhile, I am still clearing and repairing fence lines after the snow.»
Source: Stuff
Link: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy/95310752/manawatu-dairy-farmers-short-of-feed-as-calving-gets-underway-in-earnest
