A big boost in grass growth has been predicted by PastureBase Ireland.
The grassland management tool is showing current growth rates of 19kg of dry matter (DM)/ha for Leinster, 19kg of DM/ha for Munster, 17kg of DM/ha for Connacht and 12kg of DM/ha for Ulster.
It is predicting 39kg of DM/ha predicted for Leinster, 36kg of DM/ha for Munster, 33kg of DM/ha for Connacht and 30kg of DM/ha for Ulster.
This will be welcomed by farmers as we move closer to the magic day when growth surpasses demand.
However, farmers will also be hoping that there is an improvement in weather and ground conditions, which will allow for grazing to become more consistent on farms.
Getting cows to grass
For many farms, getting cows to this grass is now the issue, with ground conditions being a challenge.
The good weather during the week has seen a return to grazing for many herds, but for others, ground remains on the tender side and cows remained housed.
With more unsettled weather moving in over the next few days, it may force some of the herds that were grazing back inside.
Where possible, farmers should look to get cows to grass, thinking about how long cows can go out for rather than if they can go out.
Even a couple of hours post-milking is better than them being in the shed eating silage supplies.
It is advised to make use of the grazing infrastructure on your farm, which unfortunately means that temporary fencing will be needed for a little while long.