Measure grass: Some farmers have too much grass and others haven’t got enough for the time of the year. If you are feeding supplement (meal or round bales) then keep a close eye on the amount of grass you have on the farm as growth rates are still good and a growth rate of 70kg per day when your demand is only 50kg will quickly bring a lot of grass around the farm. Plan the last of your nitrogen – it’s better to get it out earlier rather than later because the response will be better while growth rates are higher.

Meal feeding: Last week we carried a significant article on meal feeding. The bottom line is given the price of milk and the price of meal there is no profit to be made from feeding meal this autumn. With base milk prices north and south under 25c/litre for most processors and the best price of purchased meal around €240/t, the economics of feeding should be to fill a gap in grass supply only.

Scanning: I’ve heard mixed reports on scanning all over the country. Some of the Moorepark herds have not-in-calf rates between 15% and 17% which is quite high in a 15-week breeding season. Some very good farmers with young herds or very good-fertility herds are attaining less than 5% not in-calf in less than 12 weeks. The difference between both these results is very significant in terms of labour efficiency and the impact on profitability is also very significant. The option of selling surplus replacement heifers or involuntary culling another 10% of your herd to improve the quality is something most farmers need to do. Remember higher fertility leads to higher milk and better profitability.

Switching herds: On the Dairylink page, Conail Keown discusses the Corbett case study where all the emphasis on breeding for the last number of years has gone on improving milk yield rather than fertility. This is the situation in lots of herds in the North and serious corrective action is required. Some herds are so far down the poor fertility line that selling the herd and replacing it might be the best option. However, this has serious tax consequences and needs to be planned properly with your accountant. Homegrown stock can be devalued to around 60% of market value for tax purposes and accountants normally work this in mind. Bought-in stock will be valued at full purchase price on the accounts (they can be written down over a period of time thereafter) so therefore the farmer switching herds will realise a gain on his own home-reared stock at point of sale. Subsequently the farmer will not be able to write down new bought-in stock to offset this gain. However, if someone was seriously considering changing the herd completely then this is the year to do it. Farmers will probably be making a financial loss anyway and can offset the tax that way. Further, most farmers can write down the new stock over the next three to four years to the old 60% value.