The total grass grown to date in 2026 is down nearly 9% on the same period in 2025, data from the AgriSearch GrassCheck farms shows.
Across over 50 dairy and beef/sheep farms in the project, total growth from the week beginning 23 March 2026 through to week beginning 13 July 2026 has averaged 6.5t dry matter per hectare (DM/ha), down from 7.1t in 2025.
As shown in Table 1, Fermanagh continues to be the county with the highest grass growth figures, with nearly 7.1t grown to date, with Tyrone farms bottom of the list at 6.1t, down over 12% on the same period in 2025. Farms in the remaining four counties are closely matched, to sit around the 6.5t mark.
Dairy
Looking at the different enterprises, dairy farms in the project have grown an average of 7t so far in 2026, compared to an average of 5.9t on beef / sheep counterparts.
However, there is a significant range in the data.
Across dairy farms, Armagh is top at 7.9t, compared to 6.4t in Derry.
Among beef/sheep farms, Fermanagh farms lead with an average of 7.3t, compared to Tyrone farms down at an average of 5.2t.
Nine-year average
Comparing 2026 against the nine-year average for grass growth on GrassCheck farms, it shows that early season performance was in line with other years, before it dropped behind in mid-April and again in early to mid-May.
Grass performed well in late May and into early June and has generally been tracking the 9-year average ever since. However, with dry conditions and limited rain in the forecast, predictions over the next couple of weeks put growth at around half the long-term average.
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