The next few days are set to bring some welcome relief from the widespread heavy rain that has gripped the country since the start of September.

Many parts of the country have seen over 250mm of rain since September, which is significant. Drains and rivers are full and heavy land is saturated.

On top of this, grass dry matter is low and nitrate levels in the grass are high, which is making it taste a bit unpalatable for cows resulting in poor cleanouts.

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All in all, the last few weeks have been messy for farmers in all parts of the country. The next few days are set to bring a change, with drier weather forecast for all parts.

Air temperatures are not that warm though, and soil temperatures are only just above normal so this might have an impact on grass growth rates.

More heavy rain is forecast for the weekend though, so keep that in mind if field work is planned. Key tasks that should be completed over the days include;

  • Making sure all slurry tanks are emptied as the deadline in the republic is 1 October.
  • Catch up on any spraying work, particularly post emergence sprays in reseeds.
  • Get hedges cut in field boundaries, particularly on wet land that tractors may not be able to travel on later.
  • Use the dry weather to get heavy land grazed off that may not be suitable for grazing much later in the autumn.