Total burnout of grass in some areas

GRASS growth rates on livestock farms have collapsed over the last 10 days, with Teagasc advisors and farmers reporting a total burnout in some areas.

The scorching heat has seen growth rates in the south and east fall to between 20kgs/ha/day and 10kgs/ha/day. The average rates of grass growth for this time of the year is 50-60kgs/ha/day.

Growth rates on heavier land in the north and north-west held at 40-55kgs/ha/day but these areas are now beginning to burn up and grass covers could take a further hit from the extremely warm weather forecast for the end of the week.

Grass growth on Teagasc’s Greenfields farm in Kilkenny fell to 9kgs/ha/day, with similar levels reported across much of the eastern half of the country.

Joe Patton of Teagasc described growth rates of this magnitude as “effectively zero” and he predicted that there would be “big problems ahead” unless it rains.

Teagasc’s PastureBase service estimates that average grass growth on dairy units has fallen by 1.5t/ha so far this year. The cost of this at 80pc utilisation is €250/ha.

For a 100-cow unit on a 40ha milking block the fall-off in grass growth equates to an additional cost of €10,000.

Drystock farmers are also facing significant losses as a result of grass shortages, with the additional costs estimated at €130/ha or €5,000 for a 40ha holding.

Micheál O’Leary of PastureBase pointed out that these losses are recoverable in the back end of the year if the rains start to fall.

However, he cautioned that the rains will have to come over the next few weeks to allow sufficient covers to build up through August and September to facilitate grazing into late October and early November, and to provide an opportunity for autumn silage.