Kilkenny farmers encouraged to carefully manage their winter-feed requirements

Fodder conditions are stable but farmers have been told to plan carefully as bad weather could lead to shortages in the coming months.

An online meeting of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee (NFFSC) took place, last week, to update members on the livestock fodder and feed situation on farms.

Challenges around the availability of straw was a strong, recurring message in the contributions from committee members.

The meeting included updates from Teagasc on the situation from advisory feedback across both livestock and tillage sectors, as well as a growth update based on research and PastureBase Ireland data.

A presentation from Teagasc Livestock Knowledge Transfer specialists, Joe Patton and Pearse Kelly, outlined how the fodder situation is relatively stable on both dairy and beef farms.

They highlighted that risk of shortages are dependent on spring weather and managing turnout of livestock to grass. It was estimated that 15% of farms could see significant deficits if February/March weather conditions are poorer than normal.

They also pointed out that silage is available to purchase, and that some farmers had included the option of purchase fodder in their winter feed budgeting plans.

Beef farms are judged to be in a relatively secure position, with feedback from the commercial farms participating in the knowledge transfer programmes that they are in a good position for feed at present.
Head of the Grassland Research Department in Teagasc, Michael O’Donovan, presented the grass growth figures for 2023, which were in line with the 10-year average.

He particularly pointed to the grass growth over the winter period, which has yielded strong pasture covers on farms. This grass will be available for grazing once cows calve and are turned out.
It was also pointed out that farmers should plan for early Nitrogen and slurry applications to improve spring grass production, while following with best practice guidelines on managing risks of nutrient losses.