Average grass growth for the past seven days was between 45kg and 50kg/day.
Average grass growth for the past seven days was between 45kg and 50kg/day, according to Pasturebase data.
The 10-year average grass growth graph on page 38 of this week s
Irish Farmers Journal says it all - the red line for 2021 is about half of the 10-year average.
Farmers would expect to be growing about 90kg/day, but instead they re growing about 45kg/day.
Higher soil temperatures
The funny thing is that soil temperatures are running around 2°C to 3°C higher than normal and air temperatures are also at about normal.
Dairy cows grazing in the rain near Calliaghstown, Co Meath. \ Ramona Farrelly
The average growth rate on farms recording grass measurements on PastureBase Ireland (PBI) for the past week was 48kg DM/ha. A growth rate of 72kgDM/ha was recorded for the same period last year.
Low overnight temperatures and low rainfall levels can be blamed for the poor growth.
Some farms around the country recorded a rainfall of 5ml to 6ml between 19 and 20 April and got a good jump in growth, with temperatures hitting the mid-teens over the weekend.
The rain forecast for this weekend will be welcomed by many, especially those who have had no rain since late March, which has seen growth rates remain low.
Clovermax can be purchased and used within 120 days of 14 May.
Clovermax, which is a blend of 2,4-DB and MCPA, has received emergency usage approval for a three-month period, starting from 14 May.
The sale of all 2,4-DB chemicals was prohibited since the end of October 2020, but farmers are permitted to use all products containing 2,4-DB up to the end of October 2021 if they had it in stock.
The removal of 2,4-DB products was a blow to farmers looking to incorporate clover into swards when reseeding grassland, as, without it, there is no product approved for use to kill weeds but not grass or clover.
The Results Based Environment-Agri Pilot (REAP) scheme is a move away from previous schemes, with payments based on results as opposed to a prescribed choice of actions.
Advisers are integral to the running of the scheme, as they are responsible for submitting the information identifying the measures selected by the applicant, while they are also responsible for determining the level of payment which is based on a score card and field assessment.
There are two main measures on which the pilot is based - low input grassland (LIG) and mixed species ley (MSL).
The terms and conditions detail scorecard requirements, which are essentially baseline requirements which must be satisfied in order to be able to select it.
Spreading lime is recommended before reseeding as this corrects soil pH.
Ground conditions have improved significantly and with dry weather forecast in the week ahead, there will be some farmers looking to reseed less productive grassland.
Before going to the expense of reseeding grassland, there a few things to consider first, some of which are outlined as follows.
1 Lime and soil fertility
Grass growth can be heavily curtailed if soil fertility is poor. There is little point reseeding a sward without correcting soil pH along with P (phosphate) and K (potash) levels beforehand.
If fields have recently received fertiliser or currently being grazed, there is little merit in taking a soil sample at this stage of the year, as fertility levels will be heavily distorted.