Livestock


Remove soil compaction to boost spring grass growth


• Autumn best time to liſt grass swards


• Improves soil structure, water, nutrients


• Don’t leave it late – liſt while still warm


G


rassland farmers are be- ing advised to act now to remove soil compaction – and gain in the spring from an ear- lier turnout and increased grass production.


“The deeper soil compaction caused by heavy machinery can reduce grass DM yields by up to 25%, advises agronomist Ian Rob- ertson of Sustainable Soil Man- agement. “This problem requires subsoiling or sward-lifting to re- store soil structure.” Autumn is the ideal time to


sward-lift ground. This produces a shatter which in turn creates fi s- sures through the soil profi le, al- lowing the movement of air and water. It also enables a more effi - cient use of nutrients.


“While soil temperatures are above 10°C, this stimulates microbial activity, which fi xes ni-


Take time to sward- lift this autumn, and the rewards will be seen in the spring


trogen and mobilises phosphate. These are key for plant growth, and this extra nutrient supply encourages the growth of new roots into the gaps created by the shatter.” Winter rain can then fl ush iron


particles in the soil profi le away from plant roots. Iron is an antago- nist which locks up phosphate and manganese, and ultimately can re- duce levels of these key nutrients in grass and forage, impacting on animal performance.


“Removing compaction in


advance of the winter will also pre- vent waterlogging and the con- sequent plant root death, says Mr Robertson. “In the spring, fi elds will dry out and warm up sooner.”


Even so, it is important not


to leave lifting too late. “There’s no point aerating soil if it’s not warm enough for the plant to be active- ly growing. Also, don’t sward-lift if the ground is wet and elastic, as then it just absorbs the ener-


gy, and smears. The profi le needs to be dry enough to shatter. “Sward-lifting can be done in the spring but only if ground conditions are right. But plants may already have been lost over the winter from standing water, and the opportunity for an earlier turnout has been missed.” There is also less time for the


fi ssures created by the subsoiling to stabilise before the arrival of livestock or silaging machinery, says Mr Robertson.


Think ‘outside the box’ with lameness


Dairy farmers are advised to think ‘outside the box’ to get on top of lameness control this win- ter – especially when it comes to issues that arise once cows are housed.


“The herd lameness plan is something that the whole farm team should be involved in – even vets, foot trimmers and everyone who encounters the cows,” says vet Phil Alcock.


“The more people who are trained and encouraged to iden- tify lame cows allowing each case to be promptly and effectively treated, the more effective the prevention programme will be. “To help encourage a culture of early detection, I work with some farmers who have intro- duced ‘lameness league tables’, to record the number of lame cases that each person identi-


fi es and treats. Prizes and banter go hand in hand with this and it encourages engagement and an integrated approach to lameness prevention, and a bit of healthy competition always helps.” Although not always the case, lameness prevalence at pasture is often lower than during the housing period, Mr Alcock ex- plains. But it is important to remem-


ber that digital dermatitis infec- tions stay dormant in healed le- sions of the foot all-year-around, so before cows come in for the winter, it’s the perfect opportu- nity to get op top of any under- lining issues.


“Ensuring cows are walking


through foot baths on a daily ba- sis in the lead up to housing will purge any current digital der- matitis issues,” says Mr Alcock.


OCTOBER 2017 • MIDLAND FARMER 9


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