Grass shortages: There is a marked difference in different parts of the country in grass growth.
On some farms there are real issues where farm cover has dropped to a very low level and grass is finding it hard to get going again.
Higher stocked farms have been hit hardest. On some of these farms gates were opened up to allow animals access a larger area to avoid housing.
Some supplementary feed should have been introduced on these farms to try to hold the rotation and keep closing up paddocks behind cattle as they move through them. When grass is eaten at very low covers it takes longer for it to get growing again so that’s why some farms are not seeing any growth.
May 17, 2021, 6:30 am
Farmers are well aware of the rigorous and ongoing testing of calves for the presence of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) since it became a mandatory compliance, as part of the BVD Eradication Programme back in 2013.
Eight years on, we take a look at some of the recent figures regarding calves that have been BVD tested this year, and assess the progress that has been made in trying to eradicate the disease.
Animal Health Ireland (AHI) has revealed that by the end of March 2021 over 1.1 million calves had been tested, representing approximately half of the anticipated calf crop for the year.
May 14, 2021, 6:00 am
With the winter period now just a distant memory in the minds of farmers, it is important to take a look back at the measures that were taken to control parasites such as liver fluke, and review how effective your treatment was.
This is especially important for beef farmers finishing cattle and aiming to maximise their thrive.
Farmers focus on having an animal’s diet nutritionally balanced to achieve high performance; yet if they neglect the treatment of liver fluke – they are essentially feeding concentrates to an animal with potentially severe liver damage, and therefore have reduced performance.
May 12, 2021, 6:00 am
Protecting calves against exposure to
Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) – the bacteria that cause Johne’s disease – is the essence of control of Johne’s disease, according to Animal Health Ireland (AHI).
How can grazing be managed to support that control? Whether an animal becomes infected with MAP is determined by a combination of their susceptibility (or resistance) and the amount of MAP to which they are exposed.
Protecting young calves
New-born calves are very susceptible to infection with MAP, which is why the Johne’s programme emphasises the importance of clean calving areas, early removal of calves to clean calf pens, and hygienic husbandry, particularly calf feeding.