Grass supplies: Grass growth continues to be strong in the west and northwest, while the south and south east are seeing growth rates continue to fall off.

There is no significant rain over the next week, this looks set to fall even further, while drier farms in the western half will see grazed off paddocks slow to bounce back again.

Where a bank of grass is not available to carry the farm through the dry spell, demand will have to be reduced to bring it more in line with growth.

Second-cut silage ground may have to be incorporated in to the grazing block to tide things over, or concentrates can be introduced to forward stock earlier than planned to bring demand down. Early spring calving cows could also possibly be weaned and placed on a reduced diet, provided weanlings have developed sufficiently.

As it stands, grass dry matter is very high (in the low 20% for most) meaning there is more grass available in paddocks then we might estimate.

Take this in to consideration and ensure that graze outs are achieved; every extra day grazed in a paddock helps stretch out the rotation. Cattle should continue to be offered ample shade and clean, fresh water must be available at all times. Once these are in place, cattle are relatively content with low grass volumes.

Marginal ground works: More marginal ground has dried out considerably over the last week to 10 days, having been sticky for much of June. It poses a great opportunity to get some work done on this type of ground.

Topping or mulching overgrown areas will help alleviate weed problems somewhat, but will have to be followed up by a herbicide to maintain long term control. MCPA in a boom sprayer or glyphosate in a weed licker are generally recommended for rush control, with the latter preferred in terms of protecting water quality. Spraying or licking should only take place in the latter stages of the evening when the temperature is cooler.

Where there is seen to be a rush issue, it would be worth exploring what can be done to alleviate, be it acidic or poorly drained soils. Lime can be spread any time of the year and recent dry weather may help some more marginal ground become more trafficable. It’s important to remember that peat soils should have a pH of 5.5-5.8; raising the pH above this is not recommended as it will cause further trafficability issues.

Hay and straw purchases: Hay and straw are coming on to the market now with the recent fine weather kicking off good crops in both. Hay appears particularly good value, and for farms that may have had to steal away some second-cut silage, purchasing hay for dry cows may be a good option provided you have the storage space for it. Straw supplies also seem to be good, with less farmers chopping straw owing to the fine dry weather.

Again, securing supplies now will likely lead to reduced costs, with tillage farmers having to account for the cost of hauling, unloading and storing in sheds.