‘We’re all just waiting for the rain, and lots of it’
“THERE is no such thing as the green grass of Ireland at the moment and unless the rain comes it will stay burnt” - that was the view of IFA PRO Billy Cotter of Castletownroche.
He said on top of the present intense heat and with little sign of lashings of rain on the horizon will be the severe shortage of winter feed for farmers, particularly those who bolstered their herds by massive numbers in the last number of years.
“When the first cut of silage was done it was in good condition but no one knows when the second cut will be done as there is no let up with the sun. We are just not used to this kind of heat which has resulted in the ground being like a rock and you just couldn’t drive a stake in it,” he said.
Worryingly, he said on average one round bale of barley straw costs between €10 and €12. However, he said he knows that it is now selling for €30 per bale. “That kind of money for barley straw is unheard of but I do know that it is selling for €30 per bale, which is astronomical,” he said.
When asked about the condition of cattle in this weather it was his view that presently cattle are content “but once they have water and plenty of it.”
“I am aware of farmers who have been bringing tankards into their fields for the cattle along with making sure the troughs are filling. Cattle so far I think are content but once they have water,” he said.
Mr Cotter said he has planted 16 acres of kale to feed his animals but it is not even over ground due to the stunted growth conditions. And he said from next week onwards he will be feeding his cattle hay. He also grows 200 acres of grain which he said is “very much burnt.”
“I also never before sat spring barley in May. It is under extreme pressure,” he said.
“Farmers who really expanded their herd are very much caught at the moment as they are not prepared for the winter with the problems of the lack of a second cut. And of course water is a huge thing as I have to check the troughs every day,” he said.
He said he is aware of farmers bringing water tankards into the fields as a back up to troughs which are also in situ. Like so many farmers in the region, he too is hoping that rain will pelt the ground.
“With the way things are going, and this is a worst case scenario, farmers who have greatly expanded from say 100 cows up to 200 and 300 and who are without feed will be left with no option but to take cattle to slaughter as no one will want to buy them. We are all really waiting for the rain and lots of it,” he said.