Growth is exceptionally good for this time of the year, and is about 8-10kg DM/ha above normal. Coupled with ideal grazing conditions, it’s all very rosy at the minute. However, with this comes a warning.

The Galway races mean little to me bar one thing; it marks the evenings getting shorter and chips away at the ‘grand’ part of the grand stretch in the evenings. While the day length is still very respectable, shorter days will likely mean a drop off in air and soil temperature, consequently affecting growth. Growth generally fluctuates by only 10% above or below the long-term average. This year we will likely see tonnes of grass grown in the majority of suckler farms that are measuring at this 10% above normal figure, but even at this, we have had strong growth now for such a long time in these northwest and western farms, that growth dipping below normal for the backend wouldn’t be unimaginable.

Jack Spillane, Tipperary Calf Farm, Co Tipperary

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It’s been over six weeks since a lot of the farm received nitrogen with the dry spell we had. I will likely go with half a bag of 38-0-0 + S in 10 days’ time on most of the block. We housed 50 forward cattle, and we will take out first draft from this shortly.

We baled 14 acres of surplus grass this week, while our spring barley was cut and straw baled over the weekend. Red clover will go in to some of this barley ground, with the remainder being sown with westerwolds for autumn/spring grazing before going back in to barley. Calves and older cattle were all treated for worm last week, with this being the third dose for calves and the first dose for cattle this year.

System :Dairy calf to beef

Soil Type:Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha):759

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day):38

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day):40

Mark Maxwell, Ballinagore, Co Westmeath

Demand has increased significantly and will continue, with autumn calving underway and the increased appetite of spring born calves. I will be spreading a bag/acre of Terra CAN next week to try and hold cover and growth. We will be drafting cattle again in three weeks and second cut silage ground will be coming back in to the rotation, so we’ll be ok if we can get over the next few weeks.

We are currently at second cut silage. The main silage ground is being pitted, while some paddocks and later ground is being baled and held over for weanlings. I reseeded a paddock at the weekend which was closed for a month before cutting for silage, discing and done with the one-pass.

System:Suckler to beef

Soil Type:Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha):1,010

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day):62

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day):55

Peter Doyle, Derrypatrick Herd, Co Meath

The last of the second cut for cow silage is being completed this week, with second cut silage for youngstock having been harvested a month ago. This ground will be coming back in early September when we want our peak cover.

At the minute we are not spreading any fertiliser as our farm cover is already quite high and we do not want to build cover too heavy of covers tooearly, with current growth matching demand. We will go with some fertiliser on paddocks in about two weeks time before utilisation slips.

Our red clover sward received 1.5 bags MOP/acre after second cut as we had no P allowance. This will be cut before the end of the month and be grazed in the autumn.

System :Suckler to beef

Soil Type:Variable

Farm cover (kg/DM/ha):908

Growth (kg/DM/ha/day):51

Demand (kg/DM/ha/day):49