According to Met Éireann, average rainfall levels over the seven days to last Saturday were between 20mm and 34mm, depending on location.

This is between one and 1.5 times the long-term average. However, as is the nature of rain, it doesn’t always fall in the rain gauge at the weather stations.

Serious quantity

Some farmers are reporting in excess of 100mm of rain over the past 10 days, which is a serious quantity of rain and would lead to damage, even on relatively dry land.

Where there is a risk of poaching, there’s no option but to graze the drier fields and use 12-hour breaks to minimise damage.

If ground is wet, I’d be inclined to reduce the amount of supplement being fed

Some farmers are feeding extra meal or silage to build up grass covers.

If ground is wet, I’d be inclined to reduce the amount of supplement being fed, as this will improve the cows’ appetite to graze grass and it might result in less damage being done.

It might sound counter-intuitive to do this when the weather is wet, but the feeding rates can always be increased again and the rotation slowed down when the weather improves.

Quality

Grass quality is generally really good and while dry matters may be low, the quality of the feed the cows will be getting is excellent.

If you are concerned about cows not getting enough dry matter feed, then feeding 2kg to 3kg of meal will help to increase their overall intake during a prolonged wet spell.

However, it is only when dry matter goes below 12% or 13% that you really need to take action.

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