Roughage tour Grass - Week 20
Growing weather for mowed grassland plots
The dairy farmers who bet on making the first cut generally have a smooth regrowth. Mowing high and applying fertilizer quickly will hopefully result in a smooth second cut for the dairy farmers.
With 160 kilograms of dry matter per day, the average grass growth is considerably higher than last year. Where last year the drought inhibited growth, this year this is not the case.
A number of grassland plots of the Roughage Tour have been mowed more heavily than planned. Mowing high has therefore been the trend within the Boerenbusiness Roughage tour participants. Everyone has mowed except for 1 participant. For the Zeeland dairy farmer Ruben Marijnissen from Nieuwerkerk, the second cut is almost upon us. "For now, the plan is to mow May 29 and the grass will then be around 3.000 to 3.500 kilos of dry matter," adds Marijnissen.
To put it mildly, it is not the warmest spring that the Netherlands has known, but the grassland plots thrive under it. ''It is not too cold for the grass and there is enough moisture available. This, in combination with the available nutrients, results in excellent regrowth after mowing," says Antoon Verhoeven, forage specialist in the Southwest Netherlands of Limagrain.
The graph above clearly shows that after the dip around Pentecost, the temperatures will rise nicely. The maize in particular longs for this temperature increase and it gives the grassland the chance to dry up after all the rainfall of the past few weeks. It also offers dairy farmers the opportunity to mow where the first cut is still on the land.
Erik van der Deure
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