The Irish Grain Growers’ Group (IGGG) has encouraged livestock farmers to reach out to their local tillage farmers, as many have supplies of cereals or straw that could help stretch dwindling fodder reserves on farms.
Nine out every 10ac of grain to be harvested this year has been cut, a level that puts the harvest around one month ahead of schedule.
The favourable harvest conditions have led tillage farmers to report exceptionally high straw quality, with bales on offer in most tillage areas that are generally clean of weeds and that were baled without rain.
Demanding period
“While we recognise that there is currently a fodder issue on many livestock farms due to the dry weather and lack of grass growth, there is plenty of Irish grains in stores around the country that can be used to buffer feed and preserve fodder stocks both now and over the winter months,” the IGGG has said.
“We would encourage all livestock farmers to look at these options to get them through this demanding period.”
Grain growers have been keen to explain that on-hand stocks of grain can be preserved in ways that cater for all scales of livestock farmers.
The IGGG underscored that increased demand for locally sourced grains would be a support critical to a tillage sector also struggling with drought and poor grain prices.
SHARING OPTIONS