As we face into the backend, grass is very much on track on Tullamore Farm.

The most recent cover, completed on Thursday, shows that the average farm cover is currently at 760kg DM/ha.

This has been gradually building recently thanks to strong grass growth (58kg DM/ha/day this week) and reduced demand from the mid-summer peak.

Peak cover

Farm manager Shaun Diver is targeting an average farm cover of around 850kg DM/ha by 1 September and then a peak cover of around 1,050kg to 1,100kg DM/ha by mid-September.

To achieve this, a final round of fertiliser has been applied. One-hundred-and-eight acres were blanket-spread with one bag/ac of CAN (27 units N).

In terms of grass management to build covers, suckler cows are now being made work a little harder to clean out paddocks tighter.

Calves are creep grazing under the electric wires so as not to dint performance.

Sheep

Demand from the sheep is also slowing.

For a start, lambs are being drafted for slaughter weekly.

Breeding ewes are on a tight plane of nutrition now ahead of flushing for the forthcoming breeding season.

Ram lambs have also started on 0.5kg/head/day of concentrates, which will dampen their demand for grass.

Speaking of drafting lambs for slaughter, 44 left the farm this week.

Average carcase weight was 20.3kg and the average price was €96.10/head. Eighty percent of the load graded R.

Four lambs on this load were over-fat (fat score 4) and took a price cut. However, thanks to regular drafting, this has been a rare occurrence this season.

Twelve cull ewes also went on this load.

There are a further nine cull ewes to go over the coming weeks after they put on some more flesh.

These ewes are grazing on good pasture with the ewe lambs.

All lambs received a worm dose on Friday after a few were starting to get dirty.

It was only their second dose this year and should be their last.

A Levimasol-based product was used. This has a 10-day withdrawal period, so no lambs will be drafted next week.

Cattle

Bull calves are slowly starting to develop a taste for the meal.

It might sound early to have started them, but the group will take a good two weeks to get in on the feeding fully.

It is hoped all will have a good appetite for concentrates as soon as weaning starts.

Empty cows from last week’s scanning will be picked out in the next week or 10 days to join the main group of cull cows. They will be started on meal feeding then.

The heifers that were scanned as empty have already been taken out. Continentals in this group of six will need to receive meal. However, some of the more Angus types are almost fit for slaughter as things stand.

Of the 35 heifers in-calf, 20 have been identified for our replacement heifer sale in October. The remaining 15 will be kept as replacements within the herd.