Thursday’s wintry conditions were a not-so-gentle reminder at how quickly the weather can change in spring.

For many, it will be the first time since spring turn-out that cows had to be kept inside during the day, a mark at how good we have had it up to now.

From talking to farmers during the week, many are surprised at how growth has lifted in the past 10 days or so, especially the regrowths of earlier grazed paddocks.

This is especially surprising given the low soil temperatures at the minute.

On par

While growth seems low due to the dry conditions, it’s actually pretty much on par for the time of year.

Donegal has the lowest growth figure on Pasturebase for the week gone by at just 6kg DM/ha, while some farms I have spoken to have growth in the mid 20s.

With a good deal of clover sown on farms over the past two or three years, these swards will now need a little TLC.

Any heavy covers on clover swards should be grazed off to let light into the base of the plant, as heavy covers will smother and choke out clover as it begins to emerge.

On the weather front, the worst of this cold spell appears to have passed and shouldn’t have a long-term effect on grazing conditions.

The temporary housing might have been even necessary for some farms that were going through the rotation too quickly.

By next Friday, farms should be 65% of their way through the first rotation for dry farms, with this date 10 days later for wetter farms.