General
Still working to reduce rotation length but strong growth is making this challenging
Cows to be dried off this week have been separated from their herds and their daily feed allocation reduced; three low producing cows (less than 6 litres/day) have been added to the dry off list
Paddocks for deep aeration will be staggered as they come through the grazing rotation
Two paddocks aerated with the ground hog this week
Paddock plans for all swede paddocks have been drafted and bales will start going out next week
Identifying cows that require hoof trimming to tidy up feet before winter
Considering shifting to 3n2 milking for the rest of the season to reduce pressure on feet as laneways get wet, facilitate BCS gain and 'free' up time to get the farm set up for winter
N fertiliser to be applied to all paddocks that will be harvested for baleage this week, plus new grass paddocks that have only had 2 applications. This will be the last application for the season
Contracted silage will be harvested in the next available weather window
Standard herd
Next group of 20 animals to leave next week - lowest producing empties and discretionary animals
Direct supplementary feed costs from last week = $1.23/cow/day and $16.20 estimated milk revenue
Springer paddocks have been finalised and the first 2 have had their last grazing for the season. Will be dropping out 2 per week for the next 2 weeks; aiming for 3600 kg DM at grazing
1 paddock identified for conservation and will be harvested this week
Future herd
10 animals to leave next week - lowest producing empties and some staph positive discretionary animals
Current direct supplementary feed costs - $0.93/cow/day and $17.50 estimated milk revenue
Finalised paddocks for wintering and springers and will place bales straight into the paddocks as they are delivered
1 springer paddock dropped out of rotation this week
Winter italian paddocks to be harvested this week and then bales will be laid out
2 paddocks identified for conservation and will be harvested this week
