The extent to which NI farmers struggled to make enough fodder for the 2017/18 winter was seen in figures released by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on Thursday.
Results from the December 2017 agricultural survey show that silage yields in NI hit a 12-year low last year, with average yield standing at 29.5t/ha. This reflects the difficulty farmers had in making second and third cuts of silage with wet weather persistent throughout the late summer and autumn.
DAERA’s figures indicate that the area of silage cut at least once last year increased by 4% from 2016 levels. However, it was delays or abandonment of subsequent cuts that has put silage stocks under pressure on NI farms.
The survey also recorded the lowest ever acreage of hay saved in NI. This was 7,000ha and represents a reduction of almost two thirds from 2016 levels. Yields of hay dropped to a 15-year low and overall production of hay was 46,000t, which is 43% lower than in 2016.
Winter crops
Wet weather also impacted on winter crop planting with DAERA’s figures noting a 20% decrease in the area of cereal crops in the ground by 1 December 2017. The area planted was estimated by the department at 12,700ha.
Breaking this down, winter wheat planting was down 22% to 5,700ha and winter barley was down by 10% to 6,400ha. Winter oats planting dropped by 50% with only 700ha in the ground.
Thousands of acres of silage still to be cut in NI
Fodder shortage: ‘it has been a vicious year ... it’s going to be a famine’