This is a subscriber-only article
As highlighted in the GrassCheck analysis below, it has been an extremely slow start to grass growth this spring.
Coming on top of an early housing period, and the fact that some crops were left unharvested last autumn, it has put fodder stocks under significant pressure. The problem is not helped by wet land that has had little chance to dry out this spring.
Hopefully, the warmer temperatures promised for next week actually materialise. The situation can change quickly at this time of year.
But perhaps it is worth reflecting on the fact that 2018 is the second year in the last five that many farmers have been up against it for fodder, so what might seem like extreme weather events could be more commonplace in the future. Therefore, we all need to take a look at our systems of production, and build in some more resilience.
The obvious solution is to make more silage this year, but that might be easier said than done, given the slow start to the season. That said, there is still the opportunity to grow a lot of grass from this point on. Crucial to achieving that is to actually supply nutrients to meet crop needs.
A nutrient calculator is available on APHIS online. For an individual field, a farmer can input the most recent soil analysis, the amount of slurry going on, and what fertiliser is to be used over the season.
The calculator will then show whether you are meeting crop needs (silage or grazing).
The results might be surprising, and in many situations, the nutrients applied are nowhere sufficient to maximise grass growth. Doing the calculations, and spreading more fertiliser, might be a much more cost-effective option to correct a deficit this season than other alternatives such as conacre or buying in grass for silage.
SHARING OPTIONS: