Farmers are being advised to take measures now to avoid any potential fodder shortages next spring.

Dairy co-op and agri merchants Aurivo held the first of its three fodder clinics in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal on Monday.

Speaking at Monday night’s meeting, Aurivo chair Pat Duffy said Aurivo organised the events based on feedback it had received from concerned farmers in the northwest.

Focusing on music or your breathing for periods each day can help when dealing with stress

Aurivo Farm profitability programme coordinator Roberta McDonald emphasised the need for farmers to complete a fodder budget now to identify how much silage is required before letting stock back out to grass and how much of a surplus or deficit they will have.

She highlighted the need for early action if they do have a deficit as there are may be much more options open to them now than in the spring.

The attendees were then broken up into groups where Teagasc advisers ran through the different options for farmers that are short of fodder.

The main options highlighted were the selling of stock, such as cull or empty cows or cattle. The option of finishing stock earlier, or reducing silage intake by replacing a portion of silage in the diet with concentrates and the option of grazing fields that were not able to be cut with light stock during a period of dry weather over the winter.

Mental health concerns

Bill Vaughan, of Mental Health Ireland, spoke about mental wellbeing highlighting the need for people to be happy in themselves, and how to identify if stress is affecting their lives.

He likened people leading stressful lives to a cars rev counter being in the red. While it is possible to go into the red by times, he said that staying in the red for two long can cause major issues or an engine and so too for a person.

He highlighted how a simple thing like meditation; focusing on music or your breathing for periods each day can help when dealing with stress.

He urged farmers in attendance to seek help if they are feeling affected by stress.

Further meetings

Aurivo is hosting two further meetings, one in the Sligo Park Hotel on Wednesday night at 8pm and another in the Bush Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon, on Thursday 23 November.

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