Dairy
The current focus is on finishing out breeding and grassland management, but should farmers be looking at mastitis control?
With rain forecast once again after the warm weekend, parasites will be thriving and putting young calves at risk.
Reseeds were late getting done this year given the poor spring, however there are a few drier places ready to graze now.
Farms that start breeding May 1 may be wrapping up with artificial insemination (AI) and letting stock bulls out to finish the job.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that the Irish dairy herd grew last year, but it is a different story in Britain.
When spreading nutrients this summer, it is easy to just throw out slurry and chemical fertiliser, but it vital to remember sulphur.
Beef
After such a dry and warm week, the rainfall this week may create the perfect environment for lungworm development.
As we drift away from peak milk production, it is important to remember the role of hygiene and efficiency in the parlour.
Pathogens that cause infectious diseases are usually the biggest burden during the housing season, but the risk could be rising again.
With warm weather forecast for the week ahead, fly control must be prioritised to keep the herd in healthy condition.
The poor spring has lead to a lot of farms still having calves housed despite weaning taking place a number of weeks ago.
It is easy to get so caught up in statistics and what is being bred to what, so much so that we forget about embryo survival.
Breeding is well underway now, yet not too many fields you look into will have stocks bulls out yet, as most farmers go with AI first.
With growth rates taking off and cows thriving, it may be time to consider reducing the amount of concentrates fed in the diet.
Grass growth has taken off, leaving many farms with an abundance of grass, but fertiliser application must be kept up to date.
With the breeding season officially kicking off for many farmers this week, it is important to stay on top of heat detection.
With the weather conditions finally taking a turn for the better, grass growth is up, but unfortunately so is weed growth.
A lot of heifer calves will be approaching 10-12 weeks-of-age, meaning that they should be strong enough to be completely weaned off milk.
