Irish dairy farm systems have changed substantially over the past decade. Stocking rates have increased; nitrogen (N) fertiliser allowances and use levels have reduced and larger herds with increased milk yields now require more feed.
Data from PastureBase Ireland (PBI) shows that dry matter (DM) production on dairy farms has not increased in line with increased grass demand. Grass DM production has averaged 13.2t DM/ha/yr from 2014 to 2025 with lower than average levels in more recent years. More troublingly, National Farm Survey data indicates that when additional feed supplementation is considered, pasture utilisation on the average Irish dairy farm has been declining during the last five years.
Weather patterns are having a significant impact too. Wetter springs and drier summers are reducing pasture production and reshaping grass growth curves. Although long-term weather data shows that annual rainfall in Ireland has increased over the last 30 years, the seasonal variation in rainfall has also increased. In recent years, up to 20% less rain is falling during the meteorological spring and summer (March to August) particularly in the south and east. Reduced summer rainfall, coupled with warmer temperatures, greater evapotranspiration and more sunshine, has resulted in more frequent and severe soil moisture deficits (SMD) on drier soils, greatly reducing grass growth rates during the main grazing season and adding considerable cost for farmers.
The consequence is increased concentrate and forage supplementation while cows are grazing, resulting in higher feed costs. While grazed grass/clover swards continue to be the cheapest feed source available on dairy farms, they too have suffered reduced performance in drier summer conditions. Feed costs currently represent 45% of the total costs of milk production on dairy farms. On free draining soils, the reduction in grass growth during summer due to SMDs is adding significant additional costs to dairy systems when grass growth is reduced.
Everyone agrees that there needs to be a refocus on increasing DM production on our farms but nobody is sure what to do.
There are many factors that influence pasture DM production including soil fertility, pasture renewal, grazing management and the timing of nutrient applications. Some very innovative farmers are meeting this relatively new challenge head-on by adapting grazing management on their farms and growing high-quality summer crops as part of their reseeding programmes.
At Dairy Day 2026, we have invited some of these farmers to share their experiences in grazing management and summer cropping to maximise on-farm DM production.
Our panel
Joe Deane is a dairy farmer living in Carrigaline, Co Cork and milking 650 cows across four leased dairy units. Originally from a drystock farm, he studied for a Level 7 qualification in agriculture at the Munster Technological University before completing a degree in Agriculture with Business at Aberystwyth University, Wales.
He worked on dairy farms in New Zealand for 18 months before returning home to work as a dairy farm manager for five years in Cork.
John Millington milks 530 crossbred cows in the English Midlands. A third of the tenanted farm is sand and gravel over sandstone, making it prone to summer drought. Forage crops and herbal leys have been part of the grazing system for many years to help fill the summer grass shortfall.
Padraig French is head of the Livestock Systems Department at Teagasc Moorepark and is a past president of the Irish Grassland Association. Padraig’s research interests include dairy farm systems, low-cost wintering and dairy beef systems. He has also undertaken a number of trials looking at winter cropping options to reduce winter feed costs within Irish dairy systems.
