NOVEMBER

Moving into November you’ll need to start thinking about:

Pastures

• Depending on your area and stocking rate, you should be looking at controlling the spring flush of pasture when it occurs on your farm. If it hasn’t arrived you may be running too much stock and need to review your stocking rate.
• Rotate your grazing rapidly around the farm to keep the pasture in the vegetative stage, but don’t graze the paddocks too low.
• If you are considering nitrogen fertiliser to boost growth, e.g. 35kg N/ha, apply it before rain and avoid drains and waterways.
• Weeds will be growing well and starting to flower, now is the time to deal with them preferably in an environmental-friendly way!
• Sort out which paddocks will be going into silage and make sure you have booked the contractor and have everything organised to make their job easy.
• If you are going to grow a crop - make sure you have your programme sorted out. A failure can be very expensive.

Sheep

• Lambs will now be eating large quantities of grass so fully feed all ewes still suckling.
• If your sheep are getting dirty and you suspect internal parasites check with your vet before buying drench. Using an incorrect product can result in drench resistance in worms.
• Ewes may need shearing. Prepare by ensuring sheep are dagged as shearers may refuse to shear them.
• Have good feed for all shorn sheep after shearing and put them in a sheltered paddock.
• Don’t dip for 60 days before shearing but watch for blowfly as sheep and lambs get dirty.
• Check for footrot in ewes and scald in lambs on long wet grass.
• Consider weaning early-born lambs and get them on to good clean pasture away from their mothers.

Cattle

• Fully feed all cows suckling calves. The calves should be eating a lot of grass by now and growing well. Make sure they are getting top quality feed.
• If young stock are scouring – it could be the spring feed or internal parasites, or both – so check with your vet before treating.

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