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Farmers are being urged by Teagasc to move livestock to grass now and take advantage of the current good grazing conditions and grass supply.
Good grass growth over the winter (+6kg DM/ha/day), combined with a mild February, means that grass growth has started much earlier this year.
Data from Teagasc’s PastureBase Ireland indicates the mean average farm cover (AFC) is 935kg DM/ha across the country, with grass growth this week of 14kg DM/ha/day.
20% increase
Compared with this time last year, this represents a 20% increase in AFC and a 60% increase in grass growth compared with 2018.
PastureBase Ireland co-ordinator Micheal O’Leary said; “It will be challenging to get 30% of the farm grazed by early March on some farms.”
On farms where livestock were let out grazing early, that figure today is approximately 20% to 25%.
The Teagasc grass growth model, developed by Elodie Ruelle at Teagasc Moorepark, predicts grass growth of approximately 25kg DM/ha for this week.
Current demand
Given that current demand for grass on farms is 17kg DM/ha, AFC is likely to rise again next week, when Teagasc says it should ideally be falling.
It advises farmers to try to have heavy covers grazed off in the next two weeks to avoid sward decay, which will delay regrowths if not grazed.
It is important to utilise this grass early to ensure that very good grass quality is available for the second and third grazing rotations.
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