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Grazed grass is the cheapest feedstuff available to ruminant production systems in Ireland at a cost of €50 per ton of dry matter. (Teagasc, 2017)

Increasing grass utilization by 1 ton of dry matter per hectare can increase farm profit by €181/ha on dairy farms.(O Leary et al, 2016)

Grass is key to increasing dairy exports from a record €3.38 billion recorded in 2017. (Bord Bia, 2018)

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Spring calving dairy herd.

95 milking cows with all replacements (46 weanlings and 26 heifers) reared on site.

56 ha of a grazing block split by a railway line but has an underpass for access.

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High levels of milk solids production, of 705 kgs per cow.

Enthusiastic full time farmer, willing to invest and adopt technologies to improve the farm for the next generation.

Excellent potential to grow grass with soil tests showing all land being index 3 and 4 for phosphorus and potassium and ph 6 to 6.5.

Dry land with mostly good soils and a favorable climate.

No fragmentation on the grazing block.

Reseeding program in place, with 10% of land reseeding annually.

Excellent roadway, paddock and water trough infrastructure.

Low farm debt level of less than €1000 per cow, so money can be spent on improving farm infrastructure.

Excellent use of slurry as a fertilizer.

Farmer is aware of grass budgeting techniques and technologies and attends a grass focused discussion group.

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No grass measurement recording is under taken on the farm with all budgeting done by eye balling and the days ahead method.

Disease transmission on farm due to being in an area where TB is prevalent and there is also a high incidence rate of Schmallenberg virus.

On farm cow fertility needs to improve from a 6 week calving rate of 76% to maximize grass utilization in spring.

Competition for land rental with local potato growers.

Difficult to allow time for weekly grass measurement.

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Severe weather events especially drought which greatly affects the lighter soils in some parts of the farm.

Increasing costs of inputs such as labour, concentrates, fertilizer and rented land.

Market uncertainty due to brexit.

Environmental policy especially derogation policy.

Variability of milk prices due to the reliance on export markets.

Due to the farm being a one labour unit farm, poor health of the farmer is a threat.

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Join Pasture base Ireland and record grass measurements taken.

Buy a plate meter availing of TAMS grants, to take more reliable measurements and to speed up the grass measurement process which would encourage the farmer to measure more often.

Create a detailed farm map with correct boundaries, paddock numbers and paddock areas.

Join a more advanced grassland discussion group which deals with measurement technologies.

Create a detailed farm fertilizer plan based on soil analysis.

Contract rear heifers to allow more cows to be carried on the milking platform.

Grow alternative forages to increase the tons of dry matter grown per hectare across the whole farm.

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All paddocks on the farm are numbered

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Objective of 5 year grassland management plan

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Objective of 5 year grassland management plan

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The objective of the grassland management plan is to begin detailed grass growth recordings, use computer aided grassland budgeting tools and in the long run increase both the amount of grass grown and utilized on th farm.

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Employ Grasstec to create a detailed farm map as discussed previously.

Sign up to Pasture Base and begin recording grass measurements.

Continue to soil test as part of the nutrient management plan for derogation.

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Purchase a plate meter to speed up the grass measuring process and increase the frequency of measurement to more than 30 times per year.

Create a detailed farm fertilization program based on soil tests. A liming strategy should also be developed.

Use data collected on Pasture Base such as paddock productivity to inform decisions around which paddocks to reseed.

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Continue grass measuring.

Fully employ the farm fertilizer program.

Join a grassland discussion group that is more focused on computer based grass budgeting.

Develop farm specific grass seed mixtures for drought prone soils focusing on high levels of includsion of tetraploid varieties.

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Adjust stocking rate to suit the increase in grass dry matter production.

Alternatively the level of concentrate supplementation could be reduced and more strategically timed supplementation during times of grass deficits.

Focus on increasing silage quality through pre closing management and correct cutting date to increase DMD and the protein content.

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Investigate if robotic milking could fit in on the grazing platform.

Restructure the grazing platform changing paddock sizes and boundaries, roadway access for spring on off grazing and move water troughs to more a central location in paddocks.