The disastrous start to the grazing season brings home the reality that all Irish livestock farmers should should plan for a six-month winter, in my opinion.
In truth, the above figure should be pushed up to seven, in order to guarantee that the ‘madness’ that is a spring fodder crisis is relegated to the history books.
The reality is, that all Irish dairy and livestock farms can grow oceans of grass, irrespective of how much rain falls throughout the spring, summer and autumn months.
There will always be an opportunity at some stage to get silage made in a clamp or as bales.
The current scenario of farmers making enough to get through to an early spring turnout date is just too big a risk to take.
Recent years have proven repeatedly that wet autumns will enforce an early start to the housing season, while late springs can put back turnout dates by a significant number of weeks.
Of course, the reality is that poor autumns and late springs are taken for granted the further north one travels in Ireland.
In parts of Co. Tyrone, for example, the beginning of May would be regarded as a normal start to the grazing season, with stock housed again by mid-October or even the end of September.
When operating under these circumstances, planning for a seven-month winter becomes a normal part of the annual routine for these farming business.
Relying on bought-in fodder at any time reduces the independence of the farms concerned. It also increases the cost of production in a meaningful way.
However, the biggest impact that bought-in fodder will have is on animal performance.
Buying in bales of silage is a very risky business. This is because the purchaser has no idea as to the quality of the silage that will be unveiled, prior to the bale being opened.
As a general rule of thumb, it has to be assumed that farmers selling silage will always keep the best forage available on the farm for own use purposes.
There will always be a balancing point, where these matters are concerned. Making more silage on farms may have implications for the number of stock carried within a business.
In truth, reducing cattle numbers may make perfect economic sense for many Irish farmers.
It may well be better to keep fewer head and get through a longer winter unscathed, as opposed to paying crazy money for bought-in silages that may just about keep stock ticking over.