The good news is that growth rates have increased, with average growth rates in Munster hovering around 23kg/day, 18kg/day in Leinster, 10kg/day in Ulster and 15kg/day in Connacht.
This is good news, considering average growth rates were only 7kg or 8kg/day less than 10 days ago. But in comparison with other years, growth rates are still a long way behind normal.
The immediate concern is getting over the next few days. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix and cows will have to be rehoused on many farms. On other farms, it means that turnout will be delayed even further
Many farmers are saying drier fields are growing well, but heavier land is stagnating and this is probably bringing down the average growth rate on a farm.
Widespread rain
Widespread rain on Sunday made grazing conditions difficult for many farmers. It’s amazing that even small quantities of rain can make relatively free-draining land sticky. It goes to show that the water table is still high.
The bad news is that heavier rain is forecast for Monday night and Tuesday, with between 25mm and 50mm due to fall in many parts. Thereafter, the weather is set to get drier and warmer.
Immediate tasks
The immediate tasks are to get grass into cows and to avoid damage. This will involve allocating grass in 12-hour breaks and using on/off grazing if necessary. These are practices that are normally confined to February and March, but even though it's mid-April, we still need to carry them out because conditions are so behind compared with a normal year.
Farmers who have already removed silage from the diet are seeing big lifts in milk yield, with an increase of around 1L/cow/day over two or three days. Protein percentage will be slower to rise, but it will increase.
That’s the prize for grazing. The price is the effort with strip wires and accepting some damage on heavy land.
Management
In terms of grassland management, the country is split. Some farmers are already on their second rotation. Grass should be measured every five days. Demand should be closely matched to growth rate.
If growth is higher than demand, then the first thing to do is to reduce supplement. Don’t be worried about closing up silage ground just yet. Focus on reducing supplement first. Growth rates are going to spike and when they do, about 50% or 60% of the farm will be in surplus.
But the immediate concern is getting over the next few days. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix and cows will have to be rehoused on many farms. On other farms, it means that turnout will be delayed even further.
If fodder is scarce, contact your local co-op, which should be able to supply you with silage or haylage.
Weekly weather: heavy rain will clear to leave drier weather later in the week