It’s been yet another dry week this week, with the forecast showing the weather to be cooler, but remaining dry.

There appears to be no rain on the forecast for any part of the country, which will leave some farmers who have already been feeling the pinch in an even greater one.

Bar trying to hold cover, there is little else you can do - spreading fertiliser or slurry now is not going to push on grass growth if the moisture isn’t there to use it.

What to do

With some growth forecast to hit below 30kg DM/ha for some counties, keeping demand below growth will be nigh on impossible without heavy supplementation.

Nearly all the middle band of the country, from south Galway and across to Louth, are set to hit a soil moisture deficit of 50mm or more, which will greatly affect growth.

Kilkenny and Laois are set to hit 70mm or greater this week, which is effectively a drought.

In this case, the vast majority of a cow’s diet will have to be supplemented forage in the form of zero-grazed grass or silage alongside concentrates.

Housing

It may be worthwhile exploring housing cows by night or day (by day may be more comfortable if temperatures increased again) to try to get sufficient amounts of silage and/or zero-grazed grass in to them.

Bales that were made as surplus are probably too good of feed to go into cows now. Any second- or third-cut grass yet to be picked that is accessible for cows to graze should be targeted.

If this isn’t viable, zero grazing this into them and sourcing winter fodder elsewhere will likely have to be done.

With cows beginning to lose yield as well and a generally kind summer leaving them in a good body condition score, offloading empty cows to relieve pressure should also be explored.