» Walk established pastures for weeds and, where possible, use more robust sprays for perennial weeds without damaging clover too much.
» When regrassing pastures, walk and monitor for weeds and spray as timing allows. Most selective herbicides are clover safe when two trifoliate leaves are visible on the clover. Remember to always read the label or speak to your PGG Wrightson Technical Field Representative.
» Check new pastures pass the pull test before the first graze. Spray with 2,4-D, if required, after the first graze and top up with nitrogen (N).
» After the final cut or graze shut-off of an established lucerne crop, spray a winter herbicide. Spray lucerne aged over 12 months old with a contact and residual herbicide.
» Select the correct seeding rate for autumn or winter-planted cereals and make sure seed coating protects from aphid and barley yellow dwarf virus infection. Apply a pre-emergence herbicide within 48 hours of sowing.
» Protect soils from pugging damage by grazing wet paddocks early, before the soil moisture gets too high.
» Start thinking about N and sulphur options for the spring to boost early growth. If applying N fertiliser, check the soil conditions and temperature. Nitrogen fertiliser should not be applied to wet or cold soils of less than six degrees Celsius. This helps to minimise N leaching and losses to the atmosphere.
» Monitor the growth rates of cattle, whether they are feeding on a crop or grass.
» Lower than expected growth rates are most commonly related to lower feed intakes so adjust your budget accordingly.
» Crop yields vary across any paddock so adjust the break size to ensure all stock are fully fed.
» If sheep are itching, and showing signs of lice, a long wool treatment helps reduce wool damage.
» An off-shears treatment is still required, otherwise a similar problem will occur next year.
» Check your grass management plan to allow pre-lamb set-stocking grass covers to be achieved.
» Having to restrict ewe intakes in late pregnancy and early lactation due to low grass covers significantly impacts both lamb survival and growth rates.
» Consider supplementing multiple bearing ewes with molasses and protein blocks to provide an energy and protein dense feed.
» Adequate lying time is important for animal welfare. It provides rest, an opportunity to sleep and lowers the risk of lameness.
» On average, cows lie down for 10 to 12 hours per day. The cow’s motivation to lie down is increased after four or more consecutive hours of forced standing.
» After long periods of standing, cows will sacrifice other activities, such as feeding, to lie down.
» Lying time in a grazed system is dependent on the weather and ground conditions.
» To help manage paddock conditions, move the break fence regularly to provide fresh ground, as long as it does not result in the overallocation of crops and create potential nutritional risks.
» Strategically graze the paddock, avoiding areas prone to surface pooling of water in wet conditions.
» Protect the area closest to the feeding face by grazing animals into the prevailing weather conditions.
» Have a plan for adverse weather events. Save drier areas, especially any with shelter, for your contingency plan.
