Sun relief after feed setback
It’s past time for their luck to change, with more than a year of broken weather.
But change it will, and the trick is to take the setbacks in your stride and make as much progress as possible, to be in a position to recover.
For many, that might mean using imported fodder now in order to build up reserves for next winter, to safeguard against any future shortages that might occur.
An important calculation to keep in mind is that 1kg of nitrogen fertiliser costs €1.20, and it can grow additional grass up to August that is worth €3 to €10.
Extra nitrogen on grazing areas allows higher stocking rates, which will release some of the first-cut silage ground to be closed for a second cut of silage.
Second-cut silage fields should get 60-80 units of N per acre immediately after the first cut is taken.
Extra nitrogen on grazing paddocks can also produce surplus bales over the coming months to add to what is already planned.
Some co-ops are extending free credit till June.
Banks and co-ops have been asked to be supportive and to cut some slack to farmers experiencing cashflow problems but who need the imported fodder or the fertiliser to get back on course.
But these farmers also need to monitor their cashflow carefully and take corrective action if necessary, such as reduced spending or disposing of non-performing livestock, seeking advice from their accountant or bank if necessary.
Vets, Teagasc advisers or private consultants can also advise and point to options which can help farmers recover from the feed crisis. Nationally, every unit of under-utilised ground can play a role in rebuilding winter fodder reserves this year, whether grass or other forages.
Neighbouring farmers have been supporting each other, and everyone has realised that farmers need help this year, with agri-businesses chipping in to help the farming organisations organise fodder imports, ferry companies reducing the cost of transport, and airports donating surplus grass (cuttings from 220 acres of grass at Dublin airport are going to needy farmers this week) — so it has been far from “all bad news”.
Even the recent 24-hour prayer vigil for fine weather at Rathmore on the Kerry-Cork border seems to have had a positive effect this week! Reasonable mart prices for much of the year have provided a safety valve for farmers running out of feed, and this week’s welcome advance of milk prices at several co-ops to over 37c are bright spots.
The high milk price illustrates how events such as bad weather “even out”. Drought in New Zealand has meant higher milk prices in Ireland, without which the fodder crisis here would have been much more severe.
