Tirlán nutritionist advises 100-cow herds to feed at least three silage bales daily

Brian Harte, a nutritionist at Tirlán, has outlined feeding measures for dairy farmers dealing with dry conditions and depleted soil moisture in south-east Ireland. A report by Agriland.ie said that grass growth rates in affected areas had fallen to about 10kg of dry matter per hectare, while soil moisture deficits had passed 90mm.

Harte said farmers should continue to prioritise milking cows because between 35% and 40% of the year’s milk solids output remains to be produced. Where pasture is still available, he described a transitional diet built around equal shares of grass, good-quality silage and concentrates. For a typical herd of 100 cows, that corresponds to about 6–7kg of parlour meal and three to three and a half silage bales each day.

On farms where grazing reserves have run out, Harte recommended keeping concentrate use at 7–8kg and raising silage provision to roughly five bales a day for every 100 cows. He also said cows should have about four to five hours of access to the feed so that they can consume the required amount of silage. The guidance was presented in the context of maintaining milk production when grass supplies are limited.

Harte also addressed farms with restricted winter fodder stocks. His suggested ration in that situation consists of 6–7kg of concentrates and three silage bales daily, with 3–5kg of soya hulls replacing the grass that is unavailable. The approach uses additional concentrate feed while retaining part of the available silage for winter requirements.

For subsequent grassland management, the report said farmers should wait before applying chemical nitrogen. Harte’s threshold was sustained grass growth above 50kg of dry matter per hectare, which would normally be reached around seven to ten days after sufficient rain. The report also said that soil mineralisation would release stored nitrogen after rainfall.