About 75% of one agricultural contractor’s customers are currently feeding silage due to the prolonged spell of fine weather stalling grass growth.

The drought conditions have distorted the normal working calendar, according to Peter Brennan – an agricultural contractor operating close to the borders of counties Laois and Kildare.

Speaking to AgriLand, he said: “We haven’t had any rain worth talking about in over 50 days. We had a few squibs here and there – nothing major.

“But every bit is a help at this stage.

I’d say about 75% of our customers are feeding silage at the moment.

Drought conditions being experienced in the region have reduced the workload for the contractor, at a time when they would normally be quite busy.

muck spreading

Image source: Brennan Brothers Agricultural Contractors Facebook

Continuing, he said: “We’re waiting to go cutting winter wheat at the moment. We’re doing a small bit of baling and muck spreading as well.”

The contractor also hopes to tackle some spring corn towards the end of next week.

Slurry spreading has come more or less to a halt for the time being due to the dry weather – “even spreading watery slurry was burning up ground because of the heat”, Brennan added.

slurry

Image source: Brennan Brothers Agricultural Contractors Facebook

As well as this, he outlined that a lot of farmers in the area took the opportunity to empty their slurry tanks when the weather first improved earlier in the year.

Second-cut silage

Normally at this time of the year, the fleet would be busy at pit silage – alongside baling and wrapping, Brennan said.

However, due to the prolonged spell of fine weather stalling grass growth, farmers have been forced to graze ground traditionally set aside for second-cut silage.

The agricultural contractor expressed concerns regarding the winter ahead, adding that there is the potential for an even worse fodder crisis than last year to occur if enough fodder isn’t saved.

“Even if we do get rain now, it will be the middle of September before any second cuts are ready,” he concluded.