The blistering heat and cloudless skies that we experienced during the week of the Ploughing Championships are all but a distant memory now.

Torrential rain on Saturday and again on Sunday has caused severe flooding and waterlogging in many parts, particularly in Cork and Kerry.

In some parts there was up to 65mm of rain in the space of a few hours and this burst river banks and flooded farmland and towns. Ground conditions are now really challenging in these areas.

Dealing with the aftermath is the task facing farmers now. The first thing I think that should be done is to increase the concentrate feeding level.

Grass dry matter will be very low and grass intakes will be suppressed when ground conditions are poor.

Feeding 3 to 4kg of meal in the parlour will help to keep cows settled over the coming days. Now, most farmers are feeding this level of meal anyway as grass is scarce.

Grazing conditions are extremely difficult where there was heavy rain. In some cases, particularly on heavy farms there will be no other option but to house animals.

This is not the end of the world nor is it necessarily the start of winter. There will still be an opportunity to graze again before the year is out.

Keeping a positive mindset is important during these challenging times – something each of the farmers that were in the Teagasc Heavy Soils Project used to say is critical.

Housing will be without question necessary in some cases, but there are things farmers can do to avoid having to house in other cases.

On/off grazing, grazing the highest and driest fields, allocating grass in 12 hour breaks and making use of all roadways will help to reduce damage.

If housing is the only option, hygiene in the shed will be key to avoiding mastitis. Cubicles should be scraped down and limed after every milking. Run scrapers or clean passages every few hours.

Keeping passages clean is essential in the fight against mastitis as clean passages lead to cleaner cubicle beds.

When feeding silage to milking cows, feed the best of what’s available. Depending on silage quality, extra meal might be required in order to cushion the drop in protein.

However, this advice is geared towards farmers that have had very heavy rain. I’m conscious that many farmers in parts of the country have escaped with only moderate rainfall.

However, while those in the north and west escaped the worst of the rain over the weekend, soil types are heavier and it doesn’t take much to make land wet.

The only good news is that soil and air temperatures remain good and the prospect for grass growth over the coming week remains higher than normal.