Early summer grazing management Satisfactory milk production in May and June will be dependent on high quality leafy grass and getting as much of it into the cow as possible. With the variable weather conditions we have experienced this will not always be achievable. To maximise grass intakes of quality grass consider the following guidelines. Better control and utilisation of grass is achieved with a rotational grazing system using paddocks.
Offer cows a clean fresh sward of leafy grass after each milking.
Allow large Holstein cows and cows of high genetic merit extra grass. Do not force high yielders to eat grass down to 4-6cm. You may have the option of bringing in younger stock to clear up surplus grass after grazing by the main herd. Avoid stemmy grass that has got ahead in the rotation as cows can only achieve high performance on leafy swards. Consider big baling these paddocks which have surplus grass.