JOYCE

THE GRASS has finally started to grow around this area. It is of excellent quality but it is far from growing out over the hedges.

The ground took a long time to retain some moisture and only in the last few weeks has some of the farm lost its burnt look.

From now until housing it’s all about utilising and stretching grass out as best I can. There are still only low covers and it appears that the field where stock had been removed is growing the best.

I had about eight acres closed for second cut, but it never really got going.

Last week I decided to cut it, but instead of wrapping it, I baled three or four bales a day with my own baler and fed it directly out to the suckler cows. I suppose one could call it a form of zero grazing. It was mostly located in small awkward fields so it was easier to bring the grass to the cows than the cows to the grass. It only yielded four and a half bales to the acre.

I decided to feed it out