Some local farmers are already feeding silage to their cattle as the lack of rainfall is hindering grass growth.
A survey of 150 farms by Glanbia found that 60 percent expect milk supply to be affected by soil moisture deficits, while 14 percent are already feeding their cattle silage as a buffer feed.
Glanbia Technical Support Adviser, Maeve Regan, says farms in Munster are faring better than Leinster.
But she had this advice for those experiencing a grass shortage:
“Every farm is different, depending on labour available, facilities available and the farm setup etc. Tailored advice is available within Glanbia with your local business manager or the technical advisory team.
“But, as a general rule at the moment, the key thing to have in mind is stretching out your rotation length to 24-25 days and decreasing the demand on the milking platform to match what growth you’re achieving on that platform at the moment.”
