How much grass was grown on Irish farms this year?

Now that the grazing season has ended on the majority of Irish farms, how much grass was actually grown in 2019?

Figures obtained from PastureBase Ireland (PBI) indicate – from farmers who measure through PBI – that 13.25t DM/ha was grown on average.

This represents a 15% increase in the tonnes of DM/ha produced nationally when we compare annual grass growth in 2019 and 2018.

In 2018, annual growth amounted to 11.5t DM/ha on average. However, it must be noted that the severe drought – which grasped a lot of the country in the summer of 2018 – had a major impact on this figure.

In addition, annual tonnage in 2019 is 250kg DM/ha behind the five-year average.

Graph source: PastureBase Ireland

Annual grass growth

Farmers should look at their annual tonnage report to see how they fared in 2019. This will help make decisions in terms of poor-performing paddocks, reseeding and soil fertility requirements.