Grass and silage are back to normal levels
OUR cracking summer weather from June through to August has restored grass growth to average levels for the year and helped farmers to replenish fodder stocks for the coming winter, Teagasc have confirmed this week.
Teagasc Regional Manager, Brendan Heneghan, told the Farming Tribune that nature and the weather had done a wonderful job in terms of making up for grass and fodder shortages of the first half of the year.
“The resurgence in growth really started in June while the July heatwave really did a great job in drying up fields that had been wet for nearly a year.
“With soil temperatures high right through the summer, the growth has been exceptionally good with grass really coming on through the month of August.
“The change in the weather and the consequent improvement in grass growth has been a tremendous tonic to the farming community – it really has lifted the morale of farmers everywhere,” said Brendan Heneghan.
He said that on a farm walk in Cortoon this week, a farmer had shown a field now full of lush grass – this time last year, stock had to be taken off the same field due to the ground conditions.
Galway IFA Environment Chairman, Bertie Roche, reminded farmers this week that they should also look at the possibility of putting out some nitrogen between now and the end of September to prolong the grazing season.
“After the bad start to year, we did succeed in getting an extension of two weeks on the nitrogen spreading season. This window, until September 30, can offer farmers the opportunity to ‘drive on’ some late grass,” said Bertie Roche.
He said that the October 15 deadline for slurry and dung spreading still remained unchanged, although the extended run of dry conditions over the summer had eased a lot of the pressure in this area.
“Farmers do of course have to keep an eye on their overall nitrogen output as part of the Nitrates Directive but the majority of farmers will be well within this limit.
“The very good ground conditions should also allow for a far later grazing season, unless of course the weather takes a serious turn for the worse,” said Bertie Roche.
He said that many farmers across the county had taken the opportunity to close off paddocks for second cut silage with both the return and the quality turning out to be excellent.
“We are certainly looking at a far healthier situation than this time last year when already some farmers had to have stock housed.
“An extension of this year’s grazing season would be a great start for farmers everywhere and contribute greatly to easing any fodder supply concerns,” said Bertie Roche.