Despite having non-stop rain this past spring, unfortunately (and somewhat ironically) this summer may turn out to be a hot, dry one.
Keeping stock happy, healthy and productive in summer heat requires good preparation, here are some of our tips:
Handling heat stress
An important thing to be aware of during high temperatures is heat stress in stock, with temperatures of above 20°C being a risk. Key prevention methods include:
Always ensuring animals have access to clean water, which may mean having water available in laneways or yards.
Utilising paddocks with shade.
Implementing shade or sprinkler systems on dairy shed yards to cool cows as they wait.
Budgeting feed
We know you’ll be assessing where you stand with feed supply and forecasting how much you think you’ll need, particularly if things dry up and fresh grass runs low. Ways to reduce pressure on feed include:
Culling low-value stock.
Pregnancy scanning dairy herds (we can age scan from 42 days) to identify empty cows and inform culling decisions.
Moving to once-a-day or 16-hour milking and considering drying-off some cows early.
Managing pasture
Good pasture management becomes even more vital during hot spells, so you can get the feed you’ve budgeted out of each paddock. Some strategies to mitigate impacts include:
Buying in feed supplements early.
Remaining consistent with pasture residuals and not overgrazing.
Increasing dairy platform rotations to an approximately 30-day cycle to help achieve optimum grass growth.
Every farm is different, with different stock, land, goals, weather patterns and more, so how you manage the summer season will differ. We’re here if you need us.
