Writing this on Wednesday 19 February, rain is hammering against the window, while outside and soil temperatures are still low.

Pasturebase Ireland predicts soil temperatures to creep up, but wet ground is cold ground, and anywhere where there is significant rainfall, farmers will find it hard to see soil temperatures rise in the next week or so.

Those that did turn out stock may well have to rehouse, but when has there ever been a spring where stock have stayed out full time?

With weather like this, it’s a matter of walking paddocks and assessing ground conditions pre-grazing, and assessing damage afterwards to see if grazing should continue or not.

On the fertiliser front, it’s better that it remains in the bag for now until ground is warmer and drier, to increase utilisation and reduce run off.

Stephen Frend, Newford Sucklers, Co Roscommon

We have the maiden bulling heifers and our own beef heifers, totalling 60, out to grass the last few weeks. The first 18 cows and calves are also at grass, with pairs being turned out by day and in by night the first few days, to harden calves up.

These 18 were brought in Monday night due to heavy rain, but have been out now since. To date, 32 cows have calved and thankfully calves are coming small and lively, with no issues so far.

Slurry went out on some of the latest grazed ground, with 30 acres receiving 2,000 gallons/acre.

Protected urea has landed in to the yard, and when things warm up a little, we will be applying 20-22 units/acre on ground that hasn’t received slurry.

System Suckler to beef

Soil Type Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 856

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 4

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 14

Shaun Diver, Tullamore Farm, Co Offaly

The majority of ewes have been housed at this point in the run up to lambing, with just 31 Easycare ewes and 52 in-lamb hoggets still at grass. Calving has progressed well, with 33 cows calved and 34 lives calves on the ground, with one Saler cow calving down with a set of twin bull calves unexpectedly.

Cows and calves are being housed in the new shed, built in 2022, with calves being locked in the creep and suckled twice daily. Some slurry has gone out on some of the drier paddocks using LESS, and we will look to get some cows and calves or yearling heifers out to grass soon if the weather warmed up a little.

The fact that we had half the heifers grazing the rape crop has shortened the winter as well.

System Suckler to beef/sheep

Soil Type Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha) 720

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day) 5

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day) 3

Mark Maxwell, Ballinagore, Co Westmeath

We are looking at getting some lighter stores out to grass in the next week or so hopefully. The weather had been cold and dry up until recently, and ground had been in fairly decent order, but some heavy rain early this week set things back a little.

We have gone out with a small amount of slurry to get us by, but we are sparing it until the weather is warmer and we will get more of a response. Ground that was spread in early January has shown a poor enough response. We will likely go with one bag/acre of Terracan in the first week of March if the weather allows.

Cows are set to start calving this week, with Rotavac and pre calving minerals having gone in, and we will look to begin purchasing some dairy beef calves soon.