The joy of the final few days of the quota regime is being tempered by the harshness of the weather. With mean air temperatures hovering around 6 degrees for the past week, growth rates for most of the country have been static.

The average growth rates of our Grass+ farmers over the past seven days was 23kg. Demand is 32kg and average farm cover is 637kg/ha.

Obviously, there is a big variation in these figures. One west Cork farm grew 50kg/day, but at the other end of the island Tyrone based Dairylink farmer Kevin McGrade saw growth of just 1kg.

Remember the basics of grass budgeting and the growth rates you require to maintain average farm cover as it is. If growth rates are less than demand, the average farm cover will drop.

At this time, an average farm cover of around 500kg/ha is probably sufficient for most operators. Less than this and grass is too scarce, more than this and there is too much grass on the farm when growth rates rise and you run into a surplus too soon.

If, like a lot of farmers, your average farm cover is 650kg/ha or greater, lower growth rates should be of benefit to you now as they will allow you to eat into your average farm cover and reduce this to more optimum levels.

On the other hand, a proportion of the Grass+ farmers are already at 450kg to 500kg of an average farm cover and are about to start the second rotation, if they have not already done so. In this scenario, you have no option but to fill the gap between growth rate and demand with supplement.

In many cases, silage is being fed with meals. Where 3kg or 4kg of silage is fed per day, some farmers find it easier to house the cows fully for one or two nights as opposed to feeding small quantities of silage every day.

The important thing is to monitor the grass situation closely and take action (increasing or decreasing supplementation) early. At a minimum, grass walks should be done weekly, but some people will walk the next three or four paddocks mid-way through the week to assess cover on these.

Always bear in mind that things change quickly at this time of year so be prepared to respond when the weather and growth changes. It has been said many times that the difference between a good farmer and an average farmer is a week. The average farmer makes changes a week later than the good farmer.