Animal turnout continues to be delayed in the south and east, usually the parts of the country where stock are let out earliest.

Some dry weather last weekend and into Monday and Tuesday saw pressure relieved on slurry tanks, as ground and weather conditions improved enough to allow spreading. However, with all stock still housed in most yards, tanks will refill fairly quickly.

“I’ve a lagoon that can hold half a million gallons,” said one Wexford dairy farmer, “but it’s more full than I’ve ever seen it.”

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This time last year, he had a lot of stock out, but all his herd is still indoors. “I’m bursting with grass, but we need good drying before you could put cows out in fields,” he added.

“I had the heifers out for three weeks this time last year,” said a Waterford farmer.

“We’ve no hope of turnout until conditions improve and settle a bit.

“We did get slurry out over the weekend, and there definitely has been drying, but like all dairy farmers around here, there’s still a fair bit of pressure.”

Backlog

As calving peaks on most farms, the pressure of work is intense. “Even when the weather improved, it was hard to find the time to get a few tankfuls out,” said one Cork farmer, “and slurry contractors are booked out the door, with a huge backlog of farmers desperate to get a day’s spreading when conditions allow.”

The couple of days without rain were also welcomed by sheep farmers. “Ewes out had dry coats for the first time in weeks,” said one. “And even the sheep that were in were happier, with their straw bed staying dry in the better conditions.”