» Walk maize crops and monitor for pests like slugs and greasy cutworm. Spray with appropriate insecticide as required.
» Monitor for weed emergence. If required, spray before maize has 5 to 6 leaves.
» Look for early signs of disease, especially northern leaf blight and spray a fungicide if necessary. Monitor for pests including fall armyworm.
» Pasture walk looking for summer grasses and yellow bristle grass and be prepared to treat.
» To control Californian thistle, plan a two-plus year programme, spraying the thistles at early flower-bud to maximise translocation of the chemical to the roots.
» Control weeds before fodder beet canopy closure and top up any nutrients that may be required.
» In brassicas, monitor for weeds and pests, and treat accordingly. Grass weeds grow fast and invasions by white butterfly, diamond back moth and aphids occur during summer.
» Soil test to 150 mm and adjust fertiliser inputs to reflect projected total dry matter grown, correct pH issues, and herbage test before applying a side dressing of nitrogen (N).
» Complete a feed budget early and time N applications when soil moisture and crop growth is adequate. Adjust the rate of N fertiliser based on soil and herbage results.
» Complete a herbage nitrate test on crops or pasture if you think you may have high nitrates.
» Now is a good time to review your worm, fly and facial eczema prevention programmes to understand what worked and what did not.
» Check that your drench guns are clean and functional, delivering accurate dosing. It is recommended to send guns for servicing. Spray-on formulations for fly prevention products need application guns that are functioning well. Product residues can affect functionality after off-season storage.
» Jetting races need to be maintained and check all nozzles are working and set correctly to achieve optimal chemical application.
» Have faecal egg collection kits on hand to perform post-drench checks.
» Assess the accuracy of your weighing equipment as this is vital information when determining dosing for animals. Use a standard, accurately weighed measure to check scales such as a 20 L container of water or a 10 to 20 kg dumbbell.
» Were you happy with the effectiveness of the products you used last season? If you have doubts, discuss prevention strategies with your animal health advisor.
» Did your zinc-based prevention programme provide sufficient protection to young dry stock and milking cows? An integrated programme of spore counting, accurate zinc supplementation, pasture fungicide options, non-ryegrass-based crop options and blood level monitoring are considered best practices to achieve optimal protection against facial eczema.
Heat stress and water
» The effects of heat stress include:
º Decreased feed intake.
º Decreased production.
º Increased water intake.
º Increased sweating and breathing rate.
º Changes in behaviour such as seeking shade, crowding together, and reduced lying time.
» Water requirements increase during hot weather.
» Water is crucial for rumen function and feed intake.
» Make efforts to ensure cows have good opportunity to drink water. Place water troughs on the entry/exit race to the dairy shed, along the races and on the feed pad. Water can be added to the mixer wagon.
» Make sure flow rates to troughs are high enough to meet demand. A lactating dairy cow often requires more than 100 L of water per day.
» Ensure pasture and feed is of high quality. Poor quality pasture is high in fibre, producing more heat during digestion, increasing a cow’s heat load.
» Concentrate feeds can help maintain dry matter intakes during heat stress.
» Reduce walking distance to the shed and let cows walk slowly in the heat of the day.
» Provide shade in paddocks and at the dairy shed if possible.
