Silage season is set to get under way over the coming days, with the current spell of settled weather expected to extend beyond the weekend.

Ground conditions are good. Grass growth has picked up in recent weeks, although silage yields may be lower than previous years.

However, when it comes to first-cut silage the aim on the programme farms is on feed quality, not quantity.

The lack of rainfall in some areas means grass will head out earlier than normal, hence the early cutting date.

Other farmers are going early, having missed similar windows of opportunity in previous years, with grass eventually being harvested in mid- to late-June.

Bull beef

The farms operating bull beef systems are now drafting the 2019 spring-born animals for slaughter.

Most farms are marketing bulls once they reach an adequate fat cover and liveweight gains start to tail off. Thankfully, demand is starting to rise as bulls come fit for slaughter.

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