Grass growth in 2025 is up 8% in the year to date, compared to last year. According to data from PastureBase Ireland, farms have grown an average of 9.3t DM/ha so far this year.

In the west and northwest, it’s been a textbook year for grass growth, while dry weather over the past couple of months has affected some farms, particularly in the south and the east.

According to Paul Maher of Teagasc, the amount of grass grown in Connacht and Ulster is 14% higher than in Munster and 12% higher than the average of farms in Leinster.

Many farms across the regions of Munster and Leinster received well below average levels of rain in July and August, and this has significantly dented summer grass growth rates.

The majority of these farms have had to resort to feeding supplement in the form of meal, silage, palm kernel and soya hulls to manage grass deficits.

Only 16% of farmers that are measuring grass are on target in terms of average farm cover, with the majority of these in the western half of the country.

Current grass growth figures for this week stand at 47kg DM/ha/day as an average for the country, with predicted growth rates for next week expected to be slightly higher at 51kg DM/ha.