Continued heavy rainfall is proving to be a hinderance for spring grazing on both dairy and beef farms across the country.
Some drystock farms have managed to get cattle to grass and started by grazing their lighter stock on drier areas of the farm while other parts of the country have yet to commence spring grazing.
While on-off grazing is an option for many dairy farms, it is not a common practice on most suckler and beef farms.
Met Éireann has issued several weather warnings over the past few days and unsettled conditions are expected to continue in most parts over the coming few days.
However, early indications suggest weather conditions could turn a corner next week, with higher temperatures and more settled conditions expected to prevail.
Where suckler cows are at grass with spring-born calves, farmers should be conscious of grass tetany as wet, cold conditions prevail.
Magnesium supplementation should be offered to suckler cows with calves at foot that are at grass. Good shelter and a dry area for cows and calves to lie are also essential if cows and calves are at grass in these conditions.
Often when batches of cattle are let to grass in cold and wet conditions, stock tend to be unsettled and spend a lot of time walking around the paddock. If silage supplies are not an issue, the best advice could be to hold cattle in for a few more days until warmer conditions prevail.
A few days can bring a massive change in ground conditions, especially at this time of the year, and farmers who have not yet commenced grazing should ensure their paddocks are ready to go for grazing 2023.
Ensure drinkers are working correctly and not leaking and any fence maintenance work has been completed, in the first few paddocks at least, so when weather conditions do turn a corner, grazing can commence without delay.
A late spring can be very frustrating for farmers with sheds full of cattle and silage supplies dwindling, but it is the reality of grassland farming in Ireland and conditions will take a turn hopefully sooner rather than later.