After a long, hot and often dry summer when pasture quality might be rather poor and in short demand, we’re always keen to see the onset of autumn rains. At last, we can expect improved amounts of pasture on hand and the silage wagon can be parked up for a while. Improved feed quality of autumn pasture is an added bonus, likely being much better than what stock have been grazing through the summer months. With the change of season from summer to autumn, pasture quality can shift dramatically from poor quality to very lush, leafy pasture. Why then, do sheep or cattle sometimes not do as well as they should, when they first meet this new, high quality autumn pasture? This is an issue often called (in a rather nondescript manner!) “Autumn Ill Thrift”. 

Keep an ear out for part two of this two part podcast (episode 62) where we’ll continue this discussion around autumn ill thrift, by covering some of the animal health issues that might contribute to animals doing poorly during autumn months.