Mounting bills, poor grass growth, delayed spring planting and fertiliser purchases are creating pressure on farms.

May heralds the official start of summer, but spring never came for most farmers. While temperatures are set to improve this weekend, further rainfall this week has caused some cattle to be rehoused while others have yet to get stock out.

With southern weather stations reporting rainfall totals in excess of 200% of the average in April, the die has been cast for 2018.

Cashflow is tight. The majority of bills are sitting on merchant and co-op accounts at the moment. The main lenders to farmers say they are seeing no increase in overdraft use currently, but expect an increase in demand for working capital at the back end of the year.

There will be a knock-on effect next winter. With little more than 40% of the spring cereal area planted by the start of May, grain production will take a hit. The Irish Farmers Journal estimates that as a result of this, there is likely to be a straw shortfall of as much as 750,000 bales.

Cattle are typically weighing 40kg to 50kg less than what they should. Milk yields are back by between 8% and 10%. Many farmers have had to graze silage ground twice this year and only closed it off as late as last week, reducing yields. Herds with poor body condition scores are recording a slow start to breeding.

Read more

40,000t of fodder traded through co-ops in April

Still only 10% planted in many intensive tillage areas