The tough weather conditions encountered this spring has taken its toll on cattle performance, with many farmers reporting that their beef cattle are behind performance targets compared to previous years.
Ground conditions for grazing were soft at best throughout the spring, with the challenging grazing conditions prevailing into May in some parts of the country.
Farmers are well aware of the benefits of an early start to spring grazing both from a cost perspective and animal performance perspective and the prolonged cattle-housing period last winter is taking its toll on cattle performance this season.
With this in mind, it is more important than ever this year to monitor parasite burdens in livestock and manage grass effectively.
Dairy beef steers and heifers should have a target (average daily gain) of approximately 0.9kg/day during their second season at grass while suckler-bred cattle should be higher than this.
Where farmers are concerned about parasite burdens, it is advisable to take a dung sample from a batch of cattle to identify if internal parasites are an issue.
Most veterinary practices will provide farmers with advice on dung sample analysis and advise what treatment, if any, is needed for livestock.
According to Teagasc, where stomach worm faecal egg counts (FEC) readings are in excess 200epg (eggs per gram), treatment is advisable.
As well as stomach worms, lung worms and liver fluke should also be monitored in cattle, as high burdens of these parasites can also result in ill-thrift.
While parasite burdens are one aspect that can impact livestock performance, grass management is another.
Ensuring cattle are grazed rotationally and are entering paddocks with the correct grass cover is also important to sustain good levels of performance.
Where paddocks are getting too strong and grass availability is good, it is often advisable to take out surplus paddocks from the grazing rotation as a cut of silage bales.
If cattle have grazed off paddocks and left a stemmy sward behind, it can be advisable to top these paddocks, helping to ensure a clean sward of high-quality grass for the next grazing rotation.
With this in mind, farmers with land in the extensively grazed pasture measure of the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) can not top these areas of ground until July 1.
Where farmers are concerned about cattle performance at grass, it is important to identify if there is an issue and act on it in a timely manner to maximise weight gain during the grazing season which is the most cost-effective time for cattle to thrive.