Surge in grass growth but land is far too wet for either grazing or heavy machinery

While a short dry ‘window’ of weather arrived from January 16 [opening date for slurry spreading in the west] to January 19, the wet conditions have since returned with a vengeance.

According to a number of contractors, not alone is there a real danger of any slurry being put now being washed away, the fields aren’t in a position to take heavy tractors and slurry tanks.

Rainfall at the Athenry Met Éireann station for the first 19-days of February has come in at 110.3mms. (4.3 inches) while more heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday has left fields either saturated or waterlogged.

Galway IFA Environment Representative, Henry Walsh, told the Farming Tribune that while grass growth rates had been exceptionally good over recent weeks, the problem now was ground conditions.

“Even the farmers who got slurry out in that few dry days we got from January 16 on will be worried about the heavy rains that then arrived shortly afterwards.

“Ironically, in that fortnight before the January 15 deadline restriction on slurry, we got our driest couple of weeks for a long time,” said Henry Walsh.

He also pointed out that Teagasc research was now pointing to an increase in the slurry storage capacity that would be required for a dairy cow from 0.33 of a cubic metre to 0.4 of a cubic metre per week.

Pictured: Henry Walsh: Great growth but land is saturated.