Last weekend saw every back road in the country bustling with silage trailers from 6am into the dark of the evening, as the 2015 grass crop came into harvest in earnest. Weather conditions were nearly perfect, with great drying to help wilting of crops once knocked down. While sunshine was intermittent, sugars were pretty high. In fact, the hot day on Saturday delivered a growth spurt that lowered sugars. (They have recovered at the time of writing.)

Similarly, there seemed to be no issues with nitrogen remaining in grass – it’s all gone by now. Anecdotal evidence suggests farmers have applied less nitrogen this year, with 90kg-100kg/ha being the typical amount. Growth may have been slow in April, but it was steady, utilising all that was applied.

Yields are surprising farmers and contractors a little, being a bit better than would have been predicted only a fortnight ago. With most dairy farms concluding their first cut over the next week, the attention will turn to drystock farms, which typically have a later closing and cutting date. Keep her lit.

Pat O’Toole