After torrential rain right across the country over the weekend, a brief respite from the harsh wind and rain was granted on Tuesday and Wednesday, but this was followed by more heavy rain forecasted across Munster and Leinster last night and today. This is really hampering grazing and grassland management. Growth rates are well back on where they should be for this time of year. Curtins Farm in Moorepark only grew 49kg/day, while the normal growth rate for the same period would be twice that.

This fall in growth is reducing average farm covers. Cover per cow is the important figure for this time of year. I think 150kg/cow is the magic number. Going below this is risky as the amount of grass on the farm per cow is less and unless rotation length is maintained then grass could run very short.

At this time of year, you can afford to take a bit of a gamble in the expectation that grass growth will increase in the next 10 days. A lot depends on the current situation – if you are significantly below 150kg/cow in average farm cover and demand is a good bit higher than growth rate, then extra supplement should be fed to hold rotation length. Many farms took the opportunity of a break in the weather on Tuesday and Wednesday to cut paddocks for bales and this will reduce their demand. So, even if average farm cover per cow is low, demand may also be low, so cover should catch up after a few days of good growth.Ground got very wet last weekend and the rain forecast for last night and today may see a return to on/off grazing for some. Where clean out was poor with a lot of grass muddied and walked into the ground the best cure for this is to cut that paddock for silage the next time around.

Steven Fitzgerald, Teagasc Curtins Farm

Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4.49

Growth rate (kg/day) 49

Average farm cover (kg/cow) 151

Yield (kg/cow/day) 24.8

Fat % 4.68

Protein % 3.53

Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 4

Our demand without supplement is 80kg/day, but as we are growing well below that we have been supplementing with 4kg of meal per cow for the past week. We cut some silage on Tuesday and baled this on Wednesday, so when this area comes back it will reduce our stocking rate and demand. The weather here has been cold and harsh all week, and this is affecting regrowths. We are currently grazing covers of 1,600kg/ha, but this is due to drop to 1,300kg/ha by the weekend. We are keeping a close eye on growth rates and if they show signs of increasing the meal will be taken out immediately.

Daniel Barrett, Teagasc Solohead

Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4.65

Growth rate (kg/day) 95

Average farm cover (kg/cow) 190

Yield (kg/cow/day) 27.8

Fat % 4.5

Protein % 3.65

Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 1

I did a grass walk on Tuesday and was amazed at how the grass has turned around in the space of a few days, so I lowered meal supplementation from 2kg to 1kg and cut a few paddocks for bale silage on Tuesday night. If growth keeps up, we’ll be cutting again in a few weeks. Despite over 110mm of rain falling here since 1 May, ground conditions are holding up OK. We are using 12-hour breaks to allocate grass, so this is helping a lot. As soon as conditions allow, we will go back to 24-hour allocations. Breeding is progressing well, with 65% submitted for AI after 16 days.

Harold Kingston, Courtmacsherry, Co Cork

Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4.96

Growth rate (kg/day) 65

Average farm cover (kg/cow) 150

Yield (kg/cow/day) 19

Fat % 4.10

Protein % 3.45

Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 2.3

After a month of difficult weather, grass is slowly beginning to recover from the cold, easterly winds that hampered growth for two weeks in April and the torrential rain that has fallen in May. The wind is a big factor here as we are right on the coast and can lose grass cover with a cold wind. The herd here is split-calving, with 40% calving in October and November and the rest calving in February and March. We run a high stocking rate all year, so I need to be growing 90kg/day to be able to take out supplement completely. At the moment, I’m buffer feeding with 2.3kg of meal and some bale silage.

Sean Cummins, Inistioge, Co Kilkenny

Stocking rate (cows/ha) 4.48

Growth rate (kg/day) 52

Average farm cover (kg/cow) 143

Yield (kg/cow/day) 26.3

Fat % 3.87

Protein % 3.45

Supplement fed (kg/cow/day) 1.5

Ground conditions are holding up well here despite the rain. Average farm cover was a bit on the low side, so I went back in to graze a paddock that I had intended for silage, to slow down the rotation. With a bit more heat around now, I think grass is ready to take off, so I really need to watch pre-grazing yields before they get out of hand. Pre-grazing yields are currently at 1,500kg/ha, so with a few days of high growth they could be at 1,900kg/ha very quickly. Breeding is going well. After 16 days of AI we have 78% served. We will do six weeks of AI and then let out stock bulls.