Spring turnout from housing is fast approaching bringing with it nutritional change for stock from a housed diet back onto fresh grass.

The nutrition during housing and the quality of pasture at turnout can make all the difference to performance. With this, we need to consider what our goals are for livestock while grazing to ensure target performance at grazing is achieved.

The nutrition supplied from grazing during spring is typically high at around 20% dry matter (DM), 11.5 metabolizable energy (ME) and 21% crude protein (CP) depending on weather and soil conditions.

Figure one (below) shows an average grass growth curve against the dry matter intake demand for bulling heifers to grow 0.8kg a day on average grass cover at different stocking densities of 2.5/ha, 3/ha and 3.5/ha.

As we can see from the graph, stocking density greatly impacts the ability of grazing to meet the demands of stock. The graph also demonstrates the impact of a March nitrogen application on early grass growth at both 20 and 40 kg/ha application rates with the higher rate required to meet early demand for the higher stocking density. This highlights the importance of matching application rate and timing alongside demand.

What figure one does not consider is the contribution of grass residual from winter, which will also influence early grazing supply.

Some top tips:

Monitor grass growth regularly to ensure stock demands are met at grazing.

Aim for a sward height of 6-8cm while set stocking and 10cm at entry and 5cm at exit in a rotational grazing system.

It is important to ensure the grazing platform is maintained to meet performance - if grass availability is below 5cm, stock should be moved, or stocking rate decreased.

If stocking rate is low excess can be harvested and preserved for winter; this is also beneficial for maintaining pasture quality.

Look at GrassCheck GB online for a guide on how grass is performing in your local area.

Think about nitrogen application rate and timing to best meet demand when supply is tight.