I may be fooled yet, but it looks like spring is going to arrive a little early this year. Before you know it, spring work will start, followed by cutting first crop. It can be a crazy time of year. In the rush to get the equipment ready for field work, some details can get overlooked. Here is a little list of some of those details:
1. Add yeast and buffers
Yeast and buffers stabilize the rumen. During the spring and summer, there are feed changes and heat stress that cause unstable rumens that affect milk production and fat test. Get the cows used to these products now-before the heat hits.
2. Add Clarifly now
Fly season is already starting-you might have noticed. Clarifly and similar products take time in the cow’s system to be effective. Be ready for when fly season really revs up.
3. Get your pastures ready to go
If you pasture, it’s time to get the fences in working order and fence out stagnant ponds of water that may lend to real health hazards such as red water, liver flukes and mastitis.
4. Get your heat abatement system ready.
Dust off the fans and get your misters working properly before the heat hits.
5. Invest in innoculant.
That 1st crop is like gold, literally. It is the highest yielding forage crop next to corn silage. But 1st crop is fussy. It’s hard to get it put up at the “right” moisture so that it ferments well. Innoculants will help the forage ferment faster so that it keeps better.
6. Worm the cows and heifers
If you haven’t wormed the animals in the fall, do it in the spring. We had a good amount of parasites last summer, and you want the cows to be as healthy as possible before the heat of the summer.