There is a north/south split opening up in the way zero grazing is utilised within the respective dairy sectors, according to Zero Grazer’s Niall O’Reilly.
In places like Cork the technique is used to buffer feed cows with fresh grass at those times when fodder availability in paddocks has come under pressure, he said.
“This would see farmers taking grass from fields at other locations and offering it to the cows that would still have access to paddocks.
“But once grass growth starts to improve, the zero grazing machine would be taken out of commission.”
In Northern Ireland, however, the situation is somewhat different. Most of the bigger herds are maintained indoors the year round.
“In these circumstances, fresh grass is carted to the cows throughout the entire grazing season.”
But irrespective of the zero grazing system used, demand for the associated equipment continues to rise, according to O’Reilly. His company has its manufacturing base near Oldcastle in Co Meath.
“Our standard system will meet the needs of farmers milking from 30 to 200 cows,” he said.
O’Reilly added that zero grazing will reduce expensive feed costs while allowing cows move to an increased grass diet.
“It will also increase protein and butterfat levels – quality grass produces quality milk.
Our systems also take the pressure off grazing ground in wet conditions while increasing grass growth and utilisation.
“Zero grazing allows farmers make best use of all their land. It gets round the challenge of walking cows long distances.”
According to Teagasc, the appeal of zero grazing is that it allows cattle to consume fresh grass from fields that are too far away, or are separated by busy road, to be included in the grazing rotation.
The technique can also play a role when utilising fields too wet for grazing, provided the machines employed have sufficiently wide wheels to safely distribute their load.
