The weather looks to have improved and along with that, a boost in grass growth has finally arrived for most.

Although some farmers with heavier-type land are still somewhat struggling with grazing conditions, for most it is a vast improvement from just a couple of weeks ago.

But travelling in many parts of the country over the last week, a lot of movement is happening in fields as farmers move to harvest first-cut silage crops.

Grass is very much jumping out of the ground in many areas, with the moisture still in the soil along with warm and sunny weather.

The situation on many farms has very much changed compared to just a week ago, when rain was still causing issues.

Grass growth

The latest figures from PastureBase Ireland show current growth rates of 70kg of dry matter (DM)/ha for Leinster, 69kg of DM/ha for Munster, 68kg of DM/ha for Connacht and 63kg of DM/ha for Ulster.

It finally appears that a corner has been turned and a little bit of the worry around grass growth and grazing conditions has been removed.

Grass growth is predicted to increase slightly over the coming days, with 80kg of DM/ha forecast for Leinster, 76kg of DM/ha for Munster, 70kg of DM/ha for Connacht and 69kg of DM/ha for Ulster.

Monitoring

With growth rates being so high currently, the focus now needs to be on controlling the quality of grass.

Grass needs to be watched closely and changes should be made to grazing plans when required.

Grass walks should be taking place twice a week to allow for the best management of grass.

The situation on farms is changing quite quickly currently, and without regular monitoring of grass, covers can quickly get out of hand.

Walking your farm twice weekly allows you to make the best decisions based on the most up-to-date information available.