Average grass growth for this week dropped to 43kg/day, which is back on last week but still well ahead of the 10-year average.

The weather has got noticeably colder, with air temperatures about 2°C below normal for the past week, but soil temperatures are still running about half a degree above normal. Met Éireann is predicting a return to warmer air temperatures for this week, which should stabilise soil temperatures.

The dry weather is probably worth an extra 5kg or 10kg a day of growth as utilisation is excellent because soil conditions are ideal almost everywhere.

If the weather was wet when cows are grazing peak covers, more grass would be walked into the ground, but that’s not the case at the moment. However, getting a good cleanout is proving challenging, with many herds refusing to clean out paddocks to farmers’ liking.

Is grass too lush and sour with high nitrate levels after the drought, or are cows just preferring to eat meal in the parlour rather than work hard in the field?

My view is it’s probably a combination of both. Plus, heavy covers on very dense swards are probably not very palatable.

Even though the weather is good, cows should be on a 12-hour strip wire if grazing high covers, to ensure a good cleanout and long round length. The target average farm cover for this week is around 1,100 to 1,200kg/ha.

Some farmers haven’t hit this as growth has continued to be less than demand. If below target, the objective now should be to hold cover for as long as possible by keeping growth above demand.

Read more

Grass+ beef: growth hanging on for dear life